When Schooling becomes a Community Affair!
Sonkh is a small village located just below the majestic Aravalli Hills in Nuh district of Haryana. I often pass through Sonkh whenever I visit Tauru block and never fail to notice the gate of the government school there, GMS Sonkh. Unlike most schools where the gates are jaded, rusted and on the verge of breaking down, the gate in this school is designed as a mosque with beautiful paintings on and around it. You can also see a few solar panels along the boundary and it is clear that it is one of the rare government schools in Nuh with good infrastructure. However, I also noticed that the school is supported by one of the many NGOs that are working here. These NGOs usually pick up a few schools in a district and work on improving their infrastructure. I figured that GMS Sonkh is also one of these fortunate schools and there wouldn’t be anything special about it. It was only a matter of a few minutes that I realised I was far from the truth!
The school had been nominated for the Saksham Ghoshna examination and I had visited specifically to check if the exam was being conducted smoothly. As soon as I entered, the positive vibe and energy in the school was palpable. You could see that this school was different, and it wasn’t just the infrastructure. I asked the principal about how the school was well maintained, and as I said above, I expected the answer to be that ‘an NGO had come in and transformed the school’. To my surprise, he told me that the NGO had come to the school in 2013, but had refused to work there as they felt it was beyond recovery. At that time, it was considered to be the worst school in the district and nobody wanted to work there because of the poor conditions.
Undeterred by this, the staff decided that they needed to improve the school’s condition themselves. In the beginning, they pooled in some money from their salaries towards providing some of the necessities to students like textbooks, stationery material and improving the condition of toilets. Seeing that they wouldn’t be able to use their own money forever, the staff started asking parents to provide donations voluntarily. Initially, only a few parents gave small amounts while most flatly rejected to do so. However, with whatever few donations they received, they started purchasing items like water coolers and blackboards. Seeing the improving condition of the school and the potential to improve it, more and more parents started giving in donations. Eventually, the village panchayat also decided to contribute and donated Rs. 14,000 to build a garden in the school. The gardener is paid a salary of Rs. 6000, with the school staff and the panchayat each paying half the share. The school staff also put up details on the notice board every month about the donation made by each household, the staff and the panchayat as well as information on the respective heads under which the money has been spent. But the loveliest part of this was when I heard about the contribution made by the teachers here. You often hear tales of government teachers not coming to school regularly or not taking education seriously. But every teacher in this school had installed one fan in their classroom with their money and some of them even provide transport to girl students who face difficulties travelling. The school reached such a good level that the same NGOs which rejected them earlier, came back to support them.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was GMS Sonkh. Changing infrastructure, changing mindsets does not happen overnight, but it is possible with perseverance. The same parents who earlier hesitated in sending their children to schools today not only make donations but also regularly visit the school to ensure their child is getting a good education. The same NGOs that rejected them now provide the schools with solar panels and a digital classroom for the students. The same school that was once the worst in the district is now probably one of the best government schools in the state. The journey till here wasn’t easy, but by inculcating a sense of partnership, community and transparency, GMS Sonkh was able to transform the mindset of an entire village and transform the school to what it is today.
More than anything, I feel the story of Sonkh is a story of hope. Hope, even in the most dire and difficult of circumstances, even in the most backward district of Haryana. And I feel it is stories like these that are someday going to transform the entire district. People outside often say that nothing is possible in Nuh and it is considered to be a punishment posting. Nuh is backward, sure, but no, Nuh is not bad. In fact, it’s probably the best. Because it teaches you that if you are determined and if you have a single-minded will to improve people’s lives, then you can succeed, even if the world says so otherwise.
