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AC classrooms, tablets for all: Waiting list at Wablewadi’s ZP school reaches 5,000
The state-Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International School, run by the Pune Zilla Parishad started with a mere 32 students. The Marathi-medium school has now stopped registrations of new students for the academic year 2020-21 as the waiting list reached 5,000
In Wablewadi, a village in Pune district, there exists a government school unlike any other in the country - the state’s first “tablet-run” ZP school.
The state-Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International School, run by the Pune Zilla Parishad has 5,000 children on the admission waiting list. The Marathi-medium school has now stopped registrations of new students for the academic year 2020-21.
Though the municipal school has been around for many years, today, it is Wablewadi’s best kept secret. The school which started with a mere 32 students and two classrooms has drastically change over the years.
In 2012, when Dattatray Ware Gurji took charge as headmaster, he noticed that children weren’t too enthusiastic about coming to school. Dattatreya held a meeting with parents.
“In a Gram sabha, held on August 15, 2012, I proposed a development plan for the school to villagers and they supported it. Nineteen women-led self help groups decided to let go of their profits for three years and instead donated it for the development of the school. The youth of the village decreased the expenditure during Ganesh and Navaratri festivals and helped raise funds for the school. Later on, we got tablets for all students from funds provided by the gram panchayat and that is how we became the first tablet-run school in the state,” said Ware Gurji
Now, the school has shifted to new premises constructed on 2.5 acres. It has also introduced international-level education techniques. “The students are given quality guidance by teachers in fields like sports, culture, science and elocution. Currently there are 5,000 students on the waiting list. We are always working towards betterment of environment and society and I will continue to work for students throughout my life,” he added.
Located in Shirur taluka, 2.5 km from Shikrapur, Wablewadi village comprises of 65 houses and has a population of 350.
Infrastructure boost
-Air conditioned classrooms
-Solar power
-Tablets for all students
-E-learning and activity-based teaching methodology
-Wifi campus
-Botanical garden
-Math, science, language and craft labs
-Sports room
