Teachers solve water crisis by digging borewell at school

Chikkamagaluru: In a commendable initiative, teachers Heena Tabassum and Razia Sultan of the Government Higher Primary School in Machagondanahalli have spent Rs 2.50 lakh of their own money to dig a borewell, thereby addressing the water scarcity faced by the students.

The school serves a total of 250 students from Lower Kindergarten to 7th grade. Currently, the village panchayat supplies drinking water to the school every three days, leading to significant challenges for students, kitchen staff, and teachers during the summer months. The lack of water has also affected the availability of midday meals and restroom facilities. Recognizing these issues, the teachers took it upon themselves to get a borewell dug.

“During the month of Ramadan, it’s customary to engage in community service. I have been working at this school for 25 years, and before I move on, I wanted to give something back for the children.

Last year, I discussed this with my colleague Razia Sultan, who joined the school as a teacher. With the approval of both our families, we decided to dig the borewell,” said Heena Tabassum

“We encountered failures at the first two points we identified for the borewell, but at the third point, we found an inch of water. We spent about Rs 2 lakh on the project, and Rs 50,000 was used for installing the motor. It’s rare to find teachers who care about the school’s development and the future of children,” expressed Annappa, a former student and member of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC). “Despite repeatedly requesting the Sathihalli Gram Panchayat for a permanent solution to the drinking water issue, we have received no response. The teachers’ efforts to address the children’s plight by digging the borewell is a major achievement,” stated Lokesh S., the president of the SDMC.