By: Acharya Navneetji – Aim For Seva
It was a special day at AIM for Seva Balika Vidyalaya, Khategaon. Sri Mike Lakhani, the esteemed donor of the Chatralaya building was visiting the Chatralaya and the school which are in the same premises. The girls were all lined up waiting eagerly to receive Sri Lakhani. The staff members of the school and Chatralaya were also busy in the last minute preparations and some of the parents of the girls of the school had also come to welcome Sri Lakhani.
At about 8:30 am, Sri Lakhani arrived in the campus accompanied by Swami Aishwaryananda Saraswati, co-ordinator of AIM for Seva, Madhya Pradesh. They were received by Sri Anilji and Acharya Navneetji and were accorded a traditional welcome by the girls of the school.
After a warm reception, the entire troupe along with Sri Lakhani went to the main hall of the Chatralaya where the girls presented a myriad of programs which they had meticulously prepared for the past few days under the guidance of their teachers. The program consisted of dances, skits, devotional songs and a speech in English by one of the students. The last item set the tone for the remaining part of the function.
When the parents were asked what they wanted for their girls in the school by Lakhaniji, there was a unanimity in their answers – everybody wanted quality education for their girls and most of them wanted that their girls should be taught how to speak and write in English.
At the end of the program, Sri Lakhaniji stressed upon the need of quality education, a lower student to teacher ratio in the school and the need for a good English teacher for the school so that the girls learn to read, write and speak English. He asked for co-operation of the girls’ parents, the teachers of the school, members of AIM for Seva and also promised that he will do his best in asking for support from his friends to make the parents’ dream come true.
Lakhaniji also interacted with the teachers and staff of the school. He found them very enthusiastic and having the right attitude. He also discussed about the possibility of incorporating digital tools and methodology in making the learning more fun and affective. Stressing upon the need of a yearly health check up for the girls, he brought out one very basic, important but often ignored point – checking the eyesight and hearing capability of the girls – he said that sometimes, problems in hearing can cause learning disability in the children. Sri Anilji, assured him of a thorough eye and ear check up of the girls of our school. He also talked about increased safety measures for the girls including installation of a CCTV at vantage points within the campus.
Finally, before his departure, he wanted to give some gift to the girls which he couldn’t bring along. So, he requested Swami Aishwaryanandaji to arrange for sweaters for the girls on his behalf. (These sweaters were distributed 15 days after his visit.). Upon being requested to come again with his wife next time, he promised all the girls that he will visit the school again next year with Smt. Ila Lakhani.
Update Notes from Mike Lakhani
Presently, the AIM for Seva Balika Vidyalaya, Khategaon School has 220 girls from grade 1 to grade 10. The facilities allow for 7 rooms within the building, meaning that some of the younger classes are merged together to accommodate. We have plans to build a library, science lab and the computer lab, as well as 10 more rooms in a bigger building. This will allow us to increase from 220 to 300 girls, and extend studies up to grade 12.
Presently, we have 8 teachers for 220 students, but to manage the expansion plans, there is a need for a better teacher-student ratio spread over the next three years.
Since my visit, the school has hired one English teacher and is currently investigating installing solar cells to run the computers for longer periods despite the frequent power cuts in the area.
The girls are fortunate to have a relatively big campus with 3 acres of spare land where they grow their own organic vegetables and some lentils. They also get pure milk from the cows reared in the campus and are taught to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
With the co-operation of the parents, the staff and the donors, we will take this school to newer heights and enhanced quality standards. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Mike Lakhani