NRI alumni transform govt school in village

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, January 22

From a derelict building, having broken doors, windows and a leaking rooftop, Government Primary and Middle School in Khusropur, here, has been transformed into an education haven, where students from nearby villages vie to take admission.

Thanks to NRI brothers Sukhvinder Singh Rai and Harpal Singh Rai from the village who are settled in America. The school, which was nothing less than an eyesore an year ago, is now one of the most sought after government schools in the region.

Talking to the Tribune, Sukhvinder and Harpal said the school was right in front of their house and that they had studied here from 1970 to 1975. Then, it hardly had any rooms or benches.

“As education plays a major role in one’s life, we really wanted to do something for our village, especially for children who due to their financial circumstances are not able to take admission in private schools. Hence, in the memory of our late father Gurdayal Singh, we have decided to take complete responsibility of our village school and in the past one year, we had spent around Rs 1.25 crore, while around 10 lakh more is being spent on landscaping and other related works,” said Sukhvinder.

He said the old building was demolished and since the past one year, the construction work was going on at the school. Marble flooring had been done, comfortable benches and other new items, including sports goods, toys, smart boards, green boards, LEDs, projectors and computers, have been supplied to the school.

He said as the school was equipped with modern facilities and had been upgraded to English medium, parents of the students were upbeat that their children would get to study in a school which was as good as a private school, without shelling out extra money.

Sukhvinder said there were many fields in which active support of NRIs could transform the destiny of residents of their motherland.

“I thank God for everything I have today. And it’s his (God’s) will who wants that the same environment and exposure, like in private schools, is made available for students of government schools. Hence, he chose me as his medium.”

Lauding the efforts of the Rai family, Education Secretary Krishan Kumar, who visited the school on Tuesday, said NRIs had always played an important role in the socio-economic development of the state, besides ensuring the well-being of people, especially the younger generation who are the future of the state.

He thanked the brothers and said this was a huge contribution which would enable the school to ensure the overall personality development of its students.

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