Enhancing Education

It is a matter for great pride for ‘Rotary School (Anand Shankar)’ that one of its alumni, Rezi Dung Dung, has gone on to become an IPS officer and now serves as an Additional Director General of Police in Jharkhand. He recalls his days in the school as the most “carefree and cherished moments” of his life. This school was started as an elementary school with only 70 students in 1965 by Rotary Club of Daltonganj, RI District 3250. Today it has 3,200 students in classes that go up to standard XII, and is affiliated to the CBSE Board. In the last 49 years the school has seen growth in admissions and infrastructure but tradition of Rotarians and their spouses serving as teachers still continues.

This school was built with a vision to provide education to children of all sections of society. It is heartening to note that girls make up 50 percent of the school strength. Each year, an increasing number of children from poor backgrounds enrol in the school. RC Daltonganj provides scholarships worth ₹20 lakhs every year (based on the child’s academic performance) to these children. The scholarship includes school fees, uniform and travel expenses for their entire schooling period.

“Rotarians and their spouses do visit the school and render teaching services but today most of the teaching staff is from Anand Shankar Rotary B. Ed. College, another club initiative. The teachers are paid well and two children of the teaching and non-teaching staff are eligible for scholarships. This way we promote the hum do, hamare do culture too,” says Rtn. R.S. Sinha, the club’s past secretary.

The school is well equipped and students are given an opportunity to participate in various extracurricular activities. A career guidance programme is conducted annually for high school students. “The school has become an important and trusted part of our locality. Parents are happy to send their children here and hope the school continues the good work,” says Meera Singh, mother of Diwakhar (Class III) and Bhaskar (Class II) — students of the Rotary School.

Rotarians of RC Daltonganj hope to enhance the quality of the school and thereby Rotary’s public image. 