Bengaluru: VKO School Quality education for underprivileged children

Bengaluru: The transformation of a government school which had hardly 70 students in the rolls to a school now aspired by many is the face-changing story of Government V.K.O School at Shivajinagar.

With over 100 years of history, the school that was officially inaugurated after a revamp worth Rs 16 crore, now as applicants streaming in, even days after the start of the new academic year.

The school now has more than 1500 students. “It was totally overwhelming that 7,900 students approached us for admissions this year out of which 1,569 were admitted,” said Syed Athar Pasha, acting Principal and Administrative Advisor.

Formerly known as V.K. Obaidulla Govt Urdu School, the institution at present offers education in various mediums including English, Urdu, and Kannada. “Students from the sixth grade and above are given two options to chose from – English and Kannada. From high school level, each student can pick up Urdu or Hindi as the third language, English and Kannada being the first two respectively,” Pasha explained.

 With 42 smart class rooms, lab facilities, library, recreational rooms and dining halls spread across four floors at the campus, a visit to the school would make one relook at the stereotype of  a government school. Sixty new teachers were hired this year to the existing 24 appointed by the government.The revamp was done by I Monetary Advisory Council (IMA), the charitable wing of IMA group. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mohammed Mansoor Khan, President of the Advisory Council affirms that the council seeks to provide facilities to the needy as its primary objective since its inception.

“The school which is located at a key area in the city with a populous community residing around was not up to the standard. With demand for quality education on the rise, a complete makeover was necessary for the survival of the institution.” He also attributes the basic thought behind taking up the project to state minister R. Roshan Baig, who is also an alumnus of the school.

The school is under constant surveillance with a total of 126 CCTV installed at various points, including classrooms. The school administration has also developed a smart phone application through which parents can monitor the developments of their wards at the campus.

Nearby residents are elated with revamped school and are keen to seek admission for their wards. “It is a blessing that a school with such facilities have started working in our area. If not this year, I’ll apply earlier next year to ensure my son gets a seat here,” said Majeed Salam, a parent. The renovated institution was officially inaugurated recently by CM Siddaramaiah.

Number of Students
463 – Kindergarten
572 – Lower Primary
354 – Upper Primary
180 – High-School
1569 – Total