Patna vegetable vendors set up Girls school

A group of vegetable vendors in Gulzarbag District of Patna are trying to improve the lot of children by sponsoring an all-girls school.

By Ajay Kumar

Patna, Dec.20 : A group of vegetable vendors in Gulzarbag District of Patna are trying to improve the lot of children by sponsoring an all-girls school.

This locality boasts of a huge vegetable market. And, its vendors belonging to the Kushwaha community are there to help the children's cause.

They have founded an exclusive Girls Senior Secondary School in the area, opposite to their vegetable market, to educate deprived girl children. Their objective is to enable the deprived girls acquire basic education and progress.

"The Kushwaha Girls Senior Secondary School is being run under the supervision of the parent body, the Kushwaha Shatriya Hitaishi Panchit Baithka. All funds are from the revenue generated from selling vegetables in the vegetable market and through collection on the gate," said Suraj Nandan Mehta, Secretary, Kushwaha Girls Senior Secondary School.

The three-storey building with 32 classrooms provides all facilities to the students without any discrimination on the basis of caste or creed.

"There was no any good school within an area of about two kilometres. With a school nearby, travelling is easy. Teachers are good. And every class starts on proper schedule. Besides, the Vegetable Haat (market) arranges funds for our education," said Shobha Kumari, a student.

With varied facilities ranging from library and computer education to science laboratories, the students are confident of doing well in their studies.

"Here we have all the facilities including computers, experimental labs of biology, chemistry and physics along with a good library," said Gayatri Kumari, another student.

Local residents say that since their neighbourhood did not have any good school earlier, the rate of dropouts was always on the rise and the government schools were far away for the children to tread along and return.

Presently, 1,400 students have enrolled at this school.

The school is affiliated to the Central Board of School Education and charges a nominal monthly fees of rupees 70 per student which is rupees 500 to 700 in other private schools.

The school was started in 1994 after vendors united to set up a forum named "Kushwaha Shatriya Hitaishi Panchit Baithka" of Kushwaha community.

ANI