Transforming traditional Government schools into modern, smart temples of learning was always the dream she nurtured. And once she became the IAS officer, with a posting in Chikkaballapur, Karnataka, there was no stopping for Ms Fouzia Taranum from implementing it in earnest.
It was the great American philosopher Henry David Thoreau- one of the heroes of Mahatma Gandhi- who had once remarked, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.’’
In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Fouzia, at present Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chikkaballapur Zilla Parishad, recounted how she was able to effect the transformation of schools under her jurisdiction. “Schools and Anganwadis for children,’’ she maintained, ” should be a space that imparts knowledge in such a way that children start loving going to schools.‘’
Taking the Initiative
Ms. Fouzia Taranum, took charge of Chikkaballapur in August 2019, and pretty soon she realized that the Anganwadis of the district needed some major improvement. This was important to enhance the quality of education. “We had 28 Zilla Panchayat constituencies in our district, so we decided that in the first stage we will pick up 28 schools, one in each constituency,” she said.
The teachers in the district were equally motivated and soon their target list of schools reached 38. “The first model school that we inaugurated was the Government High School Muddenahalli, on the Independence Day. We hope to inaugurate all the 38 schools by January 2021”, she added.
Working in the time of Covid
When the pandemic struck, and the nation went under lock down, the teachers of the government schools were still going to work. “They were quite enthusiastic and we planned on utilizing their services in improving the environment of the school. We started panning out the new set ups and plans. We didn’t wish to waste their motivated highs and so we decided to ride it and finish the work that we had started,” said Ms Fouzia.
Not just government schools, Ms. Fouzia also took under her the 37 `anganwadis’ of the district, “The teaching quality in the anganwadis, as well as their physical infrastructure, has improved due to our initiative in the past one year,’’ she held.
Transforming a School
How easy or difficult it is to transform a school, giving it a modern look. Ms Fouzia explains, recounting the actual work they did on this one school situated on the foot of Nandi Hills. The view from the school was beautiful, surrounded by the five panchgiri hills but the rocky terrain of the place made it difficult to reach. The huge campus of 3 to 4 acres was full of only buildings and classrooms, and nothing else.
“We thought of bringing in space and colors to the place. The compound was built partly of government funds and the remaining we completed with NREGA. We made a small park area inside. Out of the 9 classrooms initially, only 3 were kept to accommodate 120 students. We converted 1 of them into a beautiful staffroom for the teachers, created a computer lab with 10-15 systems, and converted a room into science laboratory. There is a telescope and microscope for the children to look through. Each room has something unique and mesmerizing,” she said happily.
During its face-left, the entire team of the teachers camped at the school for 15 days. Besides a science lab complete with a seating area, the school also houses a library stacked with creative and educational books, as well as a sports room packed with latest sport equipment.
“We have everything that you would imagine in a dream school. As for the infrastructure, we appointed some amazing engineering skills and did as much as was possible and also built a kho-kho court, kabaddi court, and a volley ball court there,” said Ms Fouzia.
Not just that, the school has its own amphitheater, a special room for yoga, meditation and smart class, and a canteen that gives away homely feel to students.
Other Activites
Apart from raising academically bright and sport enthusiast students, the school has also set up a nutritional garden where the children grow their own green vegetables and fruits. It teaches them a lot about organic harvesting and its properties. They have also set up an entire space for multi-food orchard.
“The entire school is rain water harvested. Children learn about water conservation in that way and also learn to preserve water for the future.”
Ms Fouzia has planned to build a number of similar government schools packed with all the amenities, all across the state by January 2021. “We want to incorporate the concept of B.A.L.A (Building as a Learning Aid) so the entire building is packed with stuff with which you learn.”
The same goes with the Anganwadis of the district, wherein they have beautiful chalk and walk activities and many more. “As one enters an Anganwadi, one sees many paintings that double as games; there are activity based syllabus drawn out; they have teaching aids and the entire place looks like a colorful play school! Some people have even donated furniture for the place”, she explained.
This IAS officer is on a ride, because she has transformed not just the schools but her dreams too.
