When nine-year-old Yuvraj first walked into Nav Gurukul World School in Jharkhand’s West Bokaro region, he had never attended school before. He could not read, write, or even recognise the alphabet.
Today, within just a year, he ranks among the top students in his class.
His transformation has become one of the many stories emerging from Nav Gurukul World School, a school started by former Bengaluru IT professional Nitesh Kumar.
Engineer leaves Bengaluru job to return home
Nitesh had built a successful career in Bengaluru’s IT sector after studying engineering in Shivamogga. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to his hometown in Jharkhand and witnessed how children in coal-mining settlements were losing access to education.
Schools that once served the community had either shut down or shifted nearly 20 kilometres away, making education inaccessible for many working-class families.
Children from villages such as Ghatotand were either dropping out or never enrolling in school at all.
₹1.25 crore school built for struggling families
Determined to change the situation, Nitesh and his wife Nutan Sahu decided to start a school on ancestral land.
He reportedly invested around ₹1.25 crore, borrowing money and using savings from a previous business to construct an 11,000-square-foot campus within nine months.
The school opened in February 2025 with affordable fees starting at ₹800 per month so that low-income families could also access quality education.
School focuses on joyful learning
The institution follows activity-based learning instead of rote memorisation. Lessons are taught through storytelling, games, theatre, and interactive classroom sessions.
Veteran educator B V Priyamvada, popularly known as “Rosie Ma’am,” later joined the school as principal, helping strengthen its academic approach.
Today, the school reportedly serves over 200 children from multiple villages.
Giving children a second chance
Parents say the school has completely transformed their children’s attitude towards education.
Yuvraj’s father, Rajeev Mukherjee, said his son now insists on attending school even when unwell.
The story of Nav Gurukul World School has drawn attention for highlighting how individual efforts and community-driven education can create opportunities for children who had almost been left behind.