This story is from May 4, 2016

After teacher’s plea, Facebook turns school’s friend

Social media doesn't only connect people, it can also bring in a positive change.
After teacher’s plea, Facebook turns school’s friend
Social media doesn't only connect people, it can also bring in a positive change.
FAZILKA: Social media doesn't only connect people, it can also bring in a positive change. This can be aptly summed up from the transformation of a government primary school in a village of Fazilka district where a teacher had sought help for improving the condition of the school located in a backward area without basic facilities.
G S Gurdit, a teacher in a government primary school at Hauj Ghander village of Fazilka, uploaded a plea on Facebook highlighting the lack of basic amenities, including potable water, for students who mostly came from poor families.
He expressed his wish to equip the school with a reverse osmosis (RO) system water purifier, a water cooler, an inverter, computers and a video projector for quality education.
His request got an instant response from his friends on Facebook, including 16 from six countries, who provided money and other support to equip the school with all required facilities in a month's time.
"As many as 25 Facebook friends extended help in fulfilling my dream whereas I have never met most of them," said Gurdit, adding that help came from his friends in US, Canada, France, Britain, Australia and Singapore apart from India.
The foreigners and NRIs who helped the school include French couple Anju Probst and Gilles Probst, Prem Singh Mann of California (US), Sant Singh Sidhu, Kanwaljit Singh Harinau, Karamjit Singh Brar, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Dhindsa and Manmohan Singh Bhinder from Canada, Satnam Singh Chahal from England, Sukhwinder Singh Brar, Balwan Singh Brar, Talwinder Singh, Gurdeep Singh and Narinder Singh and Kulwinder Singh Vicky from Singapore.

From India, the help to school came from Sansar Ali, Tejinderpal Singh Kang, Ramandeep Singh and Jasdeep Singh.
The primary school now boasts of an RO system, a water cooler, an inverter, an LCD, a computer, a printer and a sound system besides new furniture and a set of two uniforms for students.
The school staff lauded the efforts of Gurdit. To acknowledge the contribution of his Facebook friends, a board displaying the names of the donors has also been put up in the school.
Even the reading hall and dining room of the school have got a facelift and the students now have access to better facilities like schools in urban areas.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA