Khatoli in Rajasthan on a mission to eradicate illiteracy

More than 35 pc students are girls

News - India & You

April 7, 2017

/ By / Rajasthan

In this village of Khatoli, some 12 km from Kishangarh, in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, there is a school run by Jasveer Singh Khatoli, where caste, creed and religion don’t divide its students.

Singh established the MS Memorial School in 2002 with the mission of eradicating illiteracy from his village.

Though the path Singh chose was not easy, he stayed true to his hope, and with time he succeeded in establishing this school, which is in itself an institution.

When he was a student, there was no school in the village and his father, on whom the school is named, would take him to Kishangarh. But, the same was not possible for everyone, resulting in most children dropping out soon.

Singh started the school with two rooms in a rented building, but, his journey never stopped. “When you have a right cause, your destiny has something to offer you,” he remarks, highlighting his optimism that never deserted him.

Within a year of starting the school, Singh met Heide-Marie Schmolze from Swizerland. She was on a visit to India and came to know about the initiative Singh has taken in his village, which developed her interest.

Schmolze was impressed and humbled by Singh’s devotion and all that he had done for his village and since then she pays a visit to the school once or twice a year and provides advises and monetary help.

To run a school is not easy and it comes with various challenges. The biggest challenge is posed by the archaic caste system that is prevalent in the village, as in most villages of India. There are still large tracts of India where untouchability is practised, and yet, Singh has gone on to set the record straight and cleanse his village of the dogmas, which he believes, come on the way of education reaching all.

Making people understand how important educating a girl child is remains another challenge. But, thanks to Singh’s efforts, the school now has more than 35 pc girl students, which implies almost four out of 10 students in MS Memorial School are girls. This might not seem like much of a feat, but, if you get acquainted with the social systems of rural India, you will realise how monumental this figure is.

Despite all the challenges Singh faces, his courage and determination remains unshakable, and, in the near future, he wants to establish a skill development centre in the village, so that boys and girls can learn and earn, and hold their heads high with self-esteem.

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