A national award-winning school teacher – who was suspended from one zilla parishad (ZP) school for alleged financial misdemeanours and misuse of position only to be subsequently transferred to another such school in Pune district – has become a major draw for the school he is currently teaching at, with the number of students enrolled increasing from 13 to more than 80 in just a few months of his joining. The school teacher in question is Dattatray Ware aka Ware Guruji, and the school he is currently teaching at is a nondescript ZP school at Jalinder nagar in Khed tehsil of Pune district.
Ware became famous amongst students and villagers while teaching at a ZP school at Wablewadi in Shirur tehsil in 2012. When Ware joined the school in 2012, it was like any other government-run institution and had only 34 students on its rolls. During Ware’s stint however, the number of enrolled students rose to 534 with more than 4,000 students on the waiting list. So much so that Ware bagged a national award for exemplary teacher in 2016 while the school came to be recognised internationally for its innovative teaching skills and development works for students. In November 2021, a local lodged a complaint against Ware to the effect that he was demanding donations for admissions to the school. The ZP appointed a committee headed by an additional CEO-rank officer, and a five-member inquiry was ordered which finally led to Ware being suspended. Ware refuted all allegations against him. In February 2021, the administration revoked his suspension and transferred him to the school he is currently teaching at.
The school where Ware has been teaching since February 2021 now has a well-equipped laboratory, moderately stocked library, ultra-modern laptops, virtual reality (VR) goggles, and other latest educational aids and material to encourage better learning among the students. The school now offers courses related to robotics and foreign languages. Ware has been instrumental in augmenting the school infrastructure as well as introducing new teaching methods. “Initially, the primary school was in a dilapidated condition with 13 students and one teacher. There was no approach road to the school. I was sad about being suspended but when I saw the pathetic infrastructure, I decided to bring about a complete transformation. I took guidance from headmaster Sandip Mhasudge and with the help of the villagers, we started improving the school,” Ware said. According to Ware, more than 150 students sought admission in the school and quite a few applications had to be rejected as they did not want other schools in the area to lose their students. “The block education officer Jeevan Kokane motivated me when I began afresh at Jalinder nagar and I thank everyone for their support and encouragement,” Ware said.
{{/usCountry}}The school where Ware has been teaching since February 2021 now has a well-equipped laboratory, moderately stocked library, ultra-modern laptops, virtual reality (VR) goggles, and other latest educational aids and material to encourage better learning among the students. The school now offers courses related to robotics and foreign languages. Ware has been instrumental in augmenting the school infrastructure as well as introducing new teaching methods. “Initially, the primary school was in a dilapidated condition with 13 students and one teacher. There was no approach road to the school. I was sad about being suspended but when I saw the pathetic infrastructure, I decided to bring about a complete transformation. I took guidance from headmaster Sandip Mhasudge and with the help of the villagers, we started improving the school,” Ware said. According to Ware, more than 150 students sought admission in the school and quite a few applications had to be rejected as they did not want other schools in the area to lose their students. “The block education officer Jeevan Kokane motivated me when I began afresh at Jalinder nagar and I thank everyone for their support and encouragement,” Ware said.
{{/usCountry}}According to Mhasudge, the school was on the verge of shutting down in 2018 as there were very less students. “When I was appointed, there were only three students but I took the number to 13. However, with Ware Guruji’s help, we have been able to bring about a complete change in our educational scenario,” Mhasudge said. The school administration obtained government funds that were utilised for replacing the old Shahabad tiles with marble and replacing the leaking roof with polyethene sheets. A compound wall was constructed towards the safety and security of the students. The task was completed in 100 days and the summer holidays were utilised for revamping and reconstruction. “During this period, the parents of all 13 students were persuaded to send them to school daily. We worked on their academic preparation, started using laptops, introduced VR goggles and Scratch software to teach them animation,” Mhasudge said. The school now also teaches French and Japanese languages to the students as part of its revised curriculum.