Charity begins at school

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 27

While parents across the state have waged a war against private schools for selling books, uniforms and shoes, and even filed cases in various district and session courts, Kendriya Vidyalayas across the region have set an example by asking students to donate their old books to junior students. They have been told to refrain from buying new books and instead study from the ones donated by their senior students.

The managing authorities, in a circular issued in January this year, had asked the school principals and teachers to motivate students to donate books for helping students from economic weaker sections of the society and as a step to save the environment.

Following this, a drive was started in all KV Sangathan schools across the country. The students, with support from their teachers, not only bind and covered their old books to be given as ‘gift’ to their younger counterparts at the onset of the new session, they even donated their uniform and shoes to those students who were facing financial problems at home. The exchange was also reported in primary wing amongst students from Class I to V.

According to JD Guru, Principal, KV2, the move had gained momentum as more and more students were becoming part of the programme. “By getting around 327 sets of books, having over 2,000 books exchanged amongst students of Class VII onwards, our school has topped the region comprising of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and some parts of Himachal Pradesh as well,” said Guru, adding that it had also inculcated a feeling of ‘sharing and caring’ amongst students at a tender age.

He says as school uniform changes in Class VI, students of Class VI and XII too donated their uniform voluntarily to help students from the weaker sections. Students from affluent families and senior Army officials also sought old books to make a point of saving paper to benefit the environment.

During the Tribune team’s visit to some of the KVs situated in Jalandhar Cantonment, students expressed gratitude to the school authorities for providing them books free of cost. 

Harshita, a student of KV 3, has five siblings and her family is unable to bear the expense of her studies. She said the school supported her by giving concession in the school fee and provided her with free books and uniform and thus, she managed to continue her studies this year as well. Also, Manmeet, a student of Class VI in KV 2 here said that not only the school had provided her with free books but the used books were given to her after erasing all answers marked on various pages so that her studies would not suffer in the new class.