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Principal of government school in Dehradun raises funds for building revamp
Hukum Singh Uniyal, principal of RPMV in Dehradun, reached out to volunteers and set about to start a crowdfunding campaign.
A principal and some volunteers took it upon themselves to renovate and upgrade a government school building in Dehradun after the state government reportedly failed to act upon repeated calls for funds.
Hukum Singh Uniyal, 58, the principal of Rajkiya Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya (RPMV), had to ensure the transfer of 135 boys from his school’s hostel to one in Araghar following a statewide order last year to separate boys and girls staying in the same campus, which had come in the wake of several cases of sexual assault and rape of girls in hostels and shelter homes in the city.
But when he found that the condition of the new school was “deplorable”, Uniyal wrote to chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on November 10, drawing his attention to the lack of basic facilities such as toilets, electricity and a boundary wall. The principal requested the government to sanction ₹5 lakh to fix the basic infrastructure.
As weeks went by without any headway on his request, Uniyal reached out to people who had volunteered as teachers at RPMV in the past, and set about to start a crowdfunding campaign with their help.
“We made a group on WhatsApp where 35 of us started an online campaign in the first week of December to seek funds for the reconstruction,” said Reshu Agarwal, one of the people associated with the campaign. “A few in our group are pursuing their careers abroad, and they made significant contributions,” Agarwal added.
The matter started in September last year when the then chief education officer (CEO) of Dehradun, SB Joshi, had written to the district magistrate after inspection of RPMV. In his letter, Joshi stated that 168 boys and 101 girls studying in the school also stay on campus. Owing to recent incidents of abuse and molestation that had been reported from certain schools of the city, the CEO recommended to shift boys above the age of 10 years to primary school number 1 at Araghar.
A month later, the district education officer Hemlata Bhatt sent a letter stating that 135 boys of RPMV be shifted to primary school number 2 in Araghar as the previous one was not found to have the requisite infrastructure in place. She recommended that the building of primary school number 2 be repaired before shifting the students.
“For any construction or renovation work to take place, we have to submit the request beforehand so that funds are allotted for it at the time of budget allocation. Since a couple of unfortunate incidents had taken place, an order was passed to separate the girls and boys staying together at one campus. Since the order was passed in the middle of the year and there was no provision in the annual budget for renovation of the building, no funds could be allocated for the same,” chief education officer of Dehradun, Asha Painuly, said.
It is notable that RPMV, located barely a kilometre away from the secretariat, was adopted by additional chief secretary Radha Raturi in 2017. Despite repeated efforts, Raturi could not be contacted.
Owing to the lack of response from the government, Singh decided to take matters in his own hand and reached out to some youngsters who had volunteered at RPMV seeking their help.
“On my end, I borrowed money from people I know and started the construction of the school premises. There was quite a bit which needed to be done such as building bathrooms, dormitory rooms for 135 children, boundary walls and a tin shed,” Singh said.
The 58-year-old principal tapped into his contact base and the online crowdfunding campaign garnered momentum.
The campaign, which had started with the goal of crowdsourcing ₹15 lakh, has so far managed to collect a little more than ₹8.5 lakh. “I have already spent ₹15 lakh for the reconstruction. I have also received monetary help from a local trust which funded the tin shed besides making other contributions. I don’t know whether the campaign will be able to generate the entire amount, but for me the priority is to ensure the children are comfortable there. I will gradually pay back the people I have borrowed from,” Singh said.
While a major part of the renovation process is complete, boys will be shifted to the school premises after February 10 once the construction is over, he added.
Appreciating Singh’s efforts, Dehradun district magistrate SA Murugesan said, “If one person is able to mobilise people to come forward and contribute for the renovation of a government school property, it’s an appreciable effort. Often a lot of things are left on the government to be looked after and while it does its part, such steps by individuals contribute to the society.”
Since he took over as the principal of RPMV in 2008, Singh has fully invested himself in the betterment of the school. “When I came here, the school had just four students. There were many students in the city who needed quality education and I wanted to ensure they get the same. So I renovated the school building and kept getting more of such children here. For the first six months, I spent from my own pocket. Gradually, people started getting to know about me and pitched in. Since then, people have generously contributed to this school,” Singh said.
RPMV currently has around 330 students, 269 of which stay in the premises. Most of them are from underprivileged backgrounds. For his efforts in restoring the school and helping children get education, Singh was awarded the National Award for Teachers by then President Pranab Mukherjee in 2016.
“Though I am scheduled to retire in June 2020, the President’s award gives me an option to work for two more years. I will request the state to allow me to do the same so that I can utilize the times to do whatever is at my disposal to help the children,” Singh said.
