Fatehabad villagers pool money to build girls’ school

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Jandli Kalan (Fatehabad), July 17

Long before Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” programme from Haryana, residents of Jandli Kalan village in the district had understood the importance of educating their daughters.

They pooled money and built Government Girls Middle School in the village. The process of collecting money started in 2000. Today, villagers’ contribution has resulted in the construction of 20 rooms (the school has 26 rooms in all), a hall and lawns.

Nearly 350 students are enrolled in the school.

“When the panchayat gave 17 acres to the Education Department for the school in 2000, it built six rooms. The building was too small to accommodate all students and members of the staff. So villagers took it upon themselves to construct more rooms. Money was collected, a committee was formed to manage the funds and construction started,” said Saroop Singh, husband of sarpanch Guddi Devi.

“Under its matching grant scheme, the state government contributed funds corresponding to money collected by villagers,” he added.

The names of prominent donors have been written on an honour board installed in the school. Saroop said Lala Sheo Lal, a businessman from the village who has settled in the district’s Bhuna town, contributed Rs5 lakh for the school’s main gate.

Krishan Kumar, principal of Government Senior Secondary School in the village, said that with 17 acres, the girls’ school is three times bigger than his school.

Headmaster Ranbhor Singh said: “The school is being run by guest teachers, as there is only one regular teacher.”

The village, however, has its own share of dichotomy too. Jandli Kalan has a woman sarpanch, but her powers are exercised by her husband Saroop Singh and son Baljeet Singh.