Date:04/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/04/stories/2005080405770300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Model school in rural nook

Staff Reporter

Baggam Brahmananda Rao

VISAKHAPATNAM: Perhaps one can call it a trend-setting model school in a rural area attracting students from far-off villages.

The man who made the difference, earning the school such a reputation is its headmaster Baggam Brahmananda Rao. The Zilla Parishad High School in Pendurthy, set up in 1997, has turned into a `must visit' centre for all the officials of the Education Department.

Mr. Rao, who teaches English, took the initiative to improve the infrastructure by seeking contributions from the locals and officials. The school, which started with three classrooms and 137 students, today has 565 students with six classrooms.

"The infrastructure was improved with individual donations and funding by the Government agencies,'' Mr. Rao, who has been nominated for a gold medal by the New Delhi-based Nations Economic For Health and Educational Growth in recognition of his contribution, told The Hindu on Wednesday.

He will be given the Vidya Ratan Gold Medal in the capital on September 30. Mr. Rao was the recipient of the best teacher award from the State Government in 2001. He also received a gold medal instituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2003.

The school has been adopted under the Keerti programme by the Commissionerate of Technical Education since the last two years. The Commissionerate adopts one school and a college in each district for offering career counselling and guidance to the students.

A product of the school B. Dhanalakshmi, who secured 535 out of 600 in the SSC examination in 2004, is now being given coaching for a medical seat. Yoga and meditation classes are also conducted, besides regular interactions with parents.

Finding it difficult to complete the syllabus, Mr. Rao has engaged several educated local youth as vidya volunteers and arranged extra classes for weak students. "Now our pass percentage in the seventh and 10th classes has gone up significantly. Some of our students have also secured 98 per cent marks in mathematics,'' Mr. Rao said.