Punjab: Dhaliwal Dona’s government school is a role model

Punjab: In 2021, when students from Mansoorwal Dehati faced difficulty in commuting to the Government Primary School in Dhaliwal Dona, Kapurthala, teachers took the initiative to organise assistance and bought an e-rickshaw to help the students reach their school. This act of community resilience is just one example of the collective efforts of the school staff and villagers to ensure that students receive quality education. The Government Primary School in Dhaliwal Dona is a great example of progress, with unique features such as an e-rickshaw service, running track, upcoming skating rink, conference room-library, and an educational park. The school also has state-of-the-art washrooms for boys and girls. A major addition to the school infrastructure is a marble gate worth Rs 2 lakh donated by the NRI Dhaliwal family of the village. While the school had 79 students in 2021, the number has since grown to 130 students thanks to these continuous improvements. The yellow-painted e-rickshaw now makes three trips in the morning and three in the evening, ferrying students from the remote colonies of Dhaliwal Dona and Mansoorwal, where distances and lack of transport options were once barriers.

The school staff contributes Rs 5,000 every month to pay the driver. Principal Gurmukh Singh, who joined the school in 2021, reflects on his commitment to the school’s progress: “I asked myself, ‘Did I do my duty today?’ Every day, I strive to do my duty,” he says. The school’s successes are also attributed to generous donations from the NRI community and local villagers. Notably, NRI Jasbir Singh provided funds for the running track, while the Dhaliwal family provided funds for the gate and plans to contribute more for the skating rink. The school has also received funds totalling Rs 3.5 lakh for washrooms installed in collaboration between the community and ITC. The success of the school is evident from the participation of students in All India Radio programmes and recognition of its teachers at the district level. On Thursday, a grand gate was constructed at the school at a cost of Rs 2 lakh, which was inaugurated by Ramandeep Kaur Dhaliwal, wife of Kuldeep Dhaliwal who lives in the US, and DEO Elementary Mamta Bajaj along with five girls of the school. Ramandeep says, “Despite living abroad, my heart is attached to Punjab. This school has brought up many members of our family and we are always ready to contribute to the development of our village.”