Last Updated on August 8, 2024
Vagdevi Vilas Super School in Bengaluru offers free CBSE education to over 500 impoverished children, providing high-quality facilities and expert teaching to talented students who otherwise couldn’t afford it. This pioneering initiative ensures that education reaches those who need it most.
Leading a decent life is a challenge for the impoverished class. For labourers, auto drivers, and street vendors even managing to eke out a living is blood, sweat, and tears in the cities like Bengaluru. When the most of the lower middle-class cannot afford providing regular education to their children, the poor class providing CBSE education to their children is not even imaginable, a never-come-true dream for the parents.
Realising the inability of the poverty-stricken parents in providing quality education to their children, K. Harish, an ISRO former scientist and the president of Vagdevi Vilas Education Group, established a Vagdevi Vilas Super School at Munnekolal in Marathahalli in Bengaluru, Karnataka (INDIA) to provide CBSE curriculum education to the poor children. Responding to the demand, another of the school has been established in Varthur too.
Expert teachers educate the students in these schools located in pollution-free areas. Knowledges are imparted in well-equipped laboratories, computer department, and through audio visual aids. The students are taught to be creative through projects, show and tell, interactions, acting, quizzes and such activities. There is a vast playing ground and athletic facilities, volleyball, throwball courts. The cost of educating a child in CBSC curriculum in such a school would run into lakhs but Vagdevi Vilas Super School is providing all these facilities free! Yes, more than 500 students are studying in the school free.
The first school in the state
Vagdevi Vilas Super School is perhaps the first school that is providing free CBSE education to the poor students in the state. “There is humanitarian perspective behind opening this school. There are intelligent poor children. But they don’t get proper platform. Reputed schools provide facilities only if paid but fail in imparting value-focused education. In this regard, I started this project of free education with an intension of providing good education to the poor talented children” explained president of Vagdevi Vilas Education Group: K. Harish. With over two decades’ experience in the field of education, K. Harish runs nine CBSE schools in Bengaluru city and rural areas. Mostly rich and middle-class children are studying in these schools. When he came across the plight of the poor students, he just decided that his model of education should also reach them and established ‘Vagdevi Vilasa Super Schools Education and Charitable Trust’.
Poor parents are worry-free now
Rajavelu and Rekha of Munnekolalu, Marathahalli, Bengaluru have three children. It was impossible for Rajavelu to provide the children good education with the income he was getting from his tile laying job. In the qualifying examination conducted by Vagdevi Vilas Super School, children R. Srilekha, Bhuvaneswar and Nitin get selected and the poor couple’s worries about providing the children good education get alleviated. They are receiving free education for the last eight years.
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“It’s a practice with us to go thank president of the school: K. Harish in gratitude every year. Though the school is providing CBSE education for free, they have been taking great care in teaching the children. All three children are extremely good in reading and language skills and we have been greatly benefited by Vagdevi Vilasa Educational Institution. It’s very hard to find work in these post-Covid days and survival difficult. There is solace as far as children’s education is concerned, at least” grateful Rekha said.
Nature lesson for children
The school’s campus in Marathahalli is truly a lap of nature, with more than 600 trees of 84 species. It resembles a tropical wood with birds chirping and squirrels chattering on the trees. Learning amidst greener environment, away from the concrete jungle they live in, helps them observe the surroundings and develop a sense of responsibility.
They also learn that everything is interconnected. Rainwater harvesting method is also taught; the school has more than 15 drain wells. Besides, solar power generation facility, paper recycling, Vigyanavana are the places of extra-curricular activities for the students. The entire premises is like a wonderland for the children.
Pre-primary schools also have been started at Marathahalli, Bidadi, and Varthur, and Montessori and Kindergarten education systems have been adopted. The Vagdevi Vilasa Undergraduate and Graduate College is located in Halasahalli and Vagdevi Vilasa Sangeet Kalamandir has been started to teach music to students. Importantly, a Vagdevi Vilasa Teacher Training Centre has been set up to enhance the teaching skills of pre-primary school teachers. One year certificate course training in Montessori, Kindergarten education is offered in the centre. Interested may apply. Economically backward candidates may avail free training. Contact: Vagdevi Vilasa Super School, Bangalore, Mobile: +91-9686577171 (INDIA)
A scientist’s brainchild school
K. Harish, Chairman of Vagdevi Vilasa Education Group, is an ex-scientist who has worked in ISRO. Getting annoyed by the excessive discipline of the convent school his son was studying, he decided to start a school himself. In response to the words of the headmaster of the convent school: “We didn’t ask you to send your son to our school. You preferred our school yourself, therefore all of the rules and regulations must be thoroughly followed”, K. Harish resolved to open a school himself and Vagdevi Vilasa Education Institute came into existence in the year 2004, of course, with rules and regulations that will not fatigue the students.
K. Harish’s determination, foresight, and concern for the poor and the middle class resulted in a quality education providing institution which has grown into a group today. Nine schools have been set up at Varthur, Whitefield, Birur, Nelamangala, Marathahalli, Ramamurthynagar, and Bidadi, out of which two Vagdevi Vilasa Super Schools provide free education to the poor children.
(Gamana News team had an interaction with K. Harish, President of Vagdevi Vilas Super School)