Bhartiya Gramin Vidyalaya

When the school started, it was very difficult to convince the poor villagers to send their children to study -- because fathers preferred to send them to work in the fields instead. This is a problem that ails India’s primary education system, where an overwhelming number of students are believed to drop out before they reach the fifth grade. To fight that apathy, Mrs. Nirmala Misra and other teachers walked door to door in remote areas, sometimes wading through waist-deep flood waters, seeking the support and the participation of the people in this new movement. Mrs. Misra visited village after village to collect small quantities of grains from each farmer during the harvesting season, as a symbol of their participation in the movement. The contributions of poor farmers, no matter how small, are still fondly remembered by Mrs. Misra, who was been honorary principal for much of the school’s history.

The area is located at the tri-junction of Lucknow, Barabanki and Sitapur districts. However, it got little government help for long, despite its sparkling contribution. It would be some years before the state government would undo some of the injustices done to the school -- and provide some monetary assistance for which it had been eligible for twelve years. Meanwhile, the school management had realized pretty early on that the school could not wait for the government to help it. It would have to help itself.

In addition to education, one of the focus areas would be the need for socio-economic programmes. The purpose of such schemes was to improve the standards of living of the village people and to make them aware of the need to focus on education, hygiene and nutrition.

Bhartiya Gramin Vidyalaya received temporary recognition from the Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1974 and permanent recognition in 1982. Some teachers in the Junior High School section get salaries from the government, though the amounts are meagre. Apart from giving education to the rural poor, the school has been taking up socio-economic programmes including training women in tailoring, adult education, especially of women, Balvadi (playschools where free food is provided), mini dairy schemes for impoverished women, child nutrition etc.

One of the deepest impacts of the school has been on providing educational and vocational opportunities to people from the underprivileged, lowest castes, especially women and children. The area in which the school is located is inhabited mostly by the people of the underclass, whom the government calls the Scheduled Castes. Higher caste people are also poor and unable to afford education of their children in a town or city. Besides, the priority is always given to boys for education if resources are sparse. The school, therefore, gave more emphasis on the education of girls and welfare of women. To manage the activities of the organization, there is a management committee of selfless people who contribute in any way they can.
 

Bhartiya Gramin Viidyalaya: Click on the picture to see a panoramic view of the school campus [1.3MB]

Parents of students are unable to pay tuition fees and the local people are too poor to offer any donations. The main burden of running the school has been on Mrs. Nirmala Misra, who made relentless efforts to convince the local people to send their girls to the school. Girl education in the countryside in general, and especially in the present area, had been most neglected until Bhartiya Gramin Vidyalaya began work.

The school turned 32 years in July 2004, pulling through the first phase of a humble but far reaching social revolution in one of the most backward pockets of the country. Since the collection through the fees is nominal, fund raising from the poor villagers impossible and the help from successive governments negligible; the management of the organization is now facing an acute financial crisis for education as well as socio-economic programmes. Although there are classrooms for the existing classes, there is no electricity connection in the school and on the name of furniture there are some benches, stools, jute carpets and gunny bags. We want to start senior school education in the school campus and to start some vocational programmes. Bu the financial constraint prevents us from taking up any of the schemes of improvement and expansion.