Shivamogga: Deputy Commissioner of Shivamogga district, KA Dayananda may be the DC for rest of the district, but for a few children living in the local slums, he is their favourite teacher.
Believe it or not, what the DC is doing here calls for a standing ovation. The DC has started a concept of ‘skill school’ in the district. The aim of this school is to make sure that the underprivileged slum kids get an opportunity to build upon their skills.
It all started in May 2019, when the DC and a few other officials thought of having some getaway for slum kids, on the lines of the summer camps. “I have seen the kids from economically well to do backgrounds go to summer camps during the summer vacations. So we thought of doing something for the local slum kids. We had volunteers coming in to teach various activities and this was a hit. Soon we had parents of these slum kids walk up to us and say that there has been a positive change in their children and hence they wanted such classes to continue,” said the DC speaking to newskarnataka.com.
Taking the step forward, the DC decided to continue the classes every Sunday. “There is no fixed venue. The classes can be held anywhere- in a park, in a playground. What we noticed is that the attendance remains full and they take part with all enthusiasm. The volunteers make sure to take these children to various offices and show them how these departments work, they are taught music, dance, public speaking, skill development, confidence building etc,” he says adding that the growth graph is impressive.
The kids, who were scared of even talking, today greet and shake hands with everyone. “Whenever we talk about ideas, they participate, when we ask questions, they answer without fear and inhibitions. That is a massive development,” he said.
When asked if he wants other districts to take a leaf of lesson from him, the DC said that he is doing this not to prove a point to anyone. “Today, when I look back at my school days, I feel a lot of things are missing. Through this project, I am only trying to give these kids something extra that no school can provide. I am not doing this to prove a point to anyone. The district administrations elsewhere may be focusing on some other important areas. If they like the model that we have implemented here, we will be more than happy to talk about it,” he said.
The DC had recently bagged a lot of appreciation for demonstrating a low-cost compost technique that he has adopted in his residence.
