Working visit 2018
In February 2018 Margriet and Rutger visited the schoolproject again. They renewed the contacts, controlled finances and made plans for the coming years, together with staff and committee of the school. The school is in good shape: more than 330 children frequent the school, some 50 more in the annex settlement in Beniganj. From July 2018 the foundation will redraw more and more and the school will continue fully independent. The financial situation of the school is very much ok now and approved by government registered auditors every year.
In the classrooms teachers use beamer and laptop very much for their lessons, using excellent and free educational materials from internet. Even the infants share in this modern teaching. And the schoolinspection uses – after first hesitation – the school as a modern example of good teaching to others schools in the surrounding. This is all the result of the ict courses for the teachers, financed by the foundation. Only the more or less frequent power-cut is sometimes a problem.
The sewing lessons -teached before schooltime – are a success. The children like it and they make nice cloths. During our visit we have been able to buy three more foot-sewing machines, althanks to an extra donation of one of our private donors. These machines are also very much handy in times of no power.
In February – during the working visit – we have been able to celebrate with staff, committee and students the opening of the new play-ground for sports- and recreation (have a look for the pictures in the last photo-gallery). And: thanks to a big extra donation of one of the donating funds, we have been able to order for a new waterwell with taps for the students in- and outside. The old one had been dried up, because the level of ground water went down during the last years . This new well has been drilled unto 70 meters deep an will provide water for the school for years. Everything was operational at the beginning of the schoolyear in July.
We made up and concluded a new contract for schoolyear 2018-2019. And next winter we will prepare a contract for the coming years 2019-2023. That is the period of full independence of the school. But the reserve funds of the foundation will be remitted to Kashi School in this period to be sure that the transition can be done successfull. The foundation will still have its advising and counseling role in these years and may be after that too. Several scenarios have been discussed with staff and committee to consolidate what has been achieved over the years. By this we can be sure that the investments of our donors and of our energy of the past years will remain. Walking in the village and talking with people we noticed that Kashi School has become their special school: villagers are proud of it!
Our conclusion was that we had a satisfying working visit. The school is successfull. Committees in Holland and India are aware of the fact that we had not been able tot do this good work without the support and financial donations of many private persons and funds. Children and parents of the poor Dalit farmers and workers developed successfully. Many children continued their studies already in Highschool, Collage and even University. A good example of this development is one of the teachers of Kashi School: he started as a student of this school long ago and became a teacher now in his own school!
