Changemaker: A woman’s mission to nurture, educate kids

When Kamal Capoor, 82, began teaching four children near her home in DLF Phase 1 in 1996, she simply wanted to make a difference

When Kamal Capoor, 82, began teaching four children near her home in DLF Phase 1 in 1996, she simply wanted to make a difference. Nearly three decades later, that modest initiative has grown into a school which now provides education to around 500 students.

Kamal Capoor along with students from her school. (HT)

“While construction work was underway in my neighbourhood, I often saw children wandering around without access to education. That was when I felt the need to step in and start teaching them,” Capoor recalled.

She said the initiative expanded rapidly and, by 1998, around 150 children were attending her classes, which had shifted to a nearby green belt. She credited her neighbours for supporting the initiative from the beginning.

As enrolment grew, residents in the area began complaining about the noise from the classes. Capoor then approached the administration for support and was allotted a government building, where she went on to establish Happy School.

Capoor said she believes every child deserves quality education in a nurturing environment. She said the school was founded with the aim of ensuring that every child experiences a happy and memorable childhood in a space where their individuality is recognised and encouraged.

“Many of our students come from families where continuing education is not always a given. At Happy School, we strive not only to provide education but to offer holistic learning,” she said.

Capoor said the school, which caters to students up to Class 5, operates from 8 am to 2 pm and has two campuses in the same vicinity. Around 500 students are enrolled and every year, nearly 75 students graduate from Class 5.

“Most of them receive sponsorship for their further education, while the remaining students continue their studies in government schools,” she said.

She said many of the neighbours who supported the initiative nearly three decades ago continue to contribute financially. The remaining funds are raised through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

The school currently has a team of 25 teachers and 10 volunteers.

“Several of our former students have gone on to pursue hotel management, while others have become computer engineers. One of my students came back and handed me a cheque as a token of gratitude. That moment filled my heart,” she said.

For Capoor, the school’s greatest achievement is not the number of students it has taught but the confidence, opportunities and brighter futures it has helped create for generations of children.