In Karnataka’s Kirwatti, Villagers Turn Community Building Into School After Govt’s Delay

The villagers and teachers of Kirwatti village in Yellapur taluk of Uttara Kannada, Karnataka took the responsibility of building a school after government officials delayed the construction of the same in the area. Kirwatti village is a small town with only 50-60 houses. The population of this village consists of people from tribal communities.

To access the educational facilities, the children of this village had to travel three to four kilometres every day to go to school. The situation worsens during the rainy seasons resulting in a lack of transport for the students. In such a situation, the government decided to construct a school in the village to provide proper education to the villagers. However, the construction saw a delay which prolonged the difficulty for the children of the village. The number of children increased day by day, and it became difficult for them to travel long distances for education.

After noticing a considerable lag and associated problems, the residents handed over the building of their community for the school. The head teacher, Gangadhar Lamani took over this responsibility and persuaded the locals to build a school worth Rs 5-6 lakh. The villagers of Kirwatti built this school with the money they saved for the town fair and their hard-earned earrings from selling their harvest. Now, 45 children are studying in this school which has a well-equipped kitchen and a classroom.

The construction was completed with the help of the leaders of the town. It was completed under the guidance of Gangadhar Lamani. The floor-roofing expenses were given by the Gram Panchayat officials. The children of this village now don’t have to travel kilometres for education as they can access the prime facilities in their area.