Mumbai: The volunteers at Ashakiran Bal Gurukul in Nerul, meant for the under privileged have been overjoyed since Monday ever since the results of class X were declared, as all the 18 students they had, passed the boards, of which three even managed to obtain above 80%.
Ten years ago when the then police inspector Sangeeta Shinde Alphonso from Nerul Police Station, decided to make space in the police station for three volunteers who were passionate about teaching the under privileged, little did she know that it would change the lives of so many students who pass out every year with the help of this institution.
Ashakiran - is a street school set up by three ladies from the Nerul – Seawoods area of Navi Mumbai since February 2014. The school, now has around 30 volunteers.
The vision of the founders-Debanjali Hota, Vani Prasad and Vijaya Devi- was to provide education to extremely poor kids from nearby slums and squatter colonies in and around sector 27, 23 and 25 in Nerul.
Alphonso, who learnt about the initiative was touched by the move and then offered space in the police station from December 2014 from where it still operates.
“What started from 16 kids, we now have around 120 children studying in various classes, spread over two shifts,” Hota said.
The first batch who passed out from class X was in the year 2015. “This place is like a remedial class for the students. In the initial years, the pass percentage was not more as the basic concepts of the students were not clear. Since last around three years, we have 100 percentage pass rates in class X,” Hota added.
The classes are conducted six days a week in two shifts by around 30 volunteers. Running from the first floor of the Nerul Police Station since last 10 years, Asha Kiran Bal Gurukul does not charge a penny from the children nor do the volunteers work for money. The focus of the volunteers has been on subjects Math, Science and English. In last 10 years, at least 50 students have cleared class X, claim Hote.
Alphonso, who is currently Dy SP (Home), Palghar, said, “It's a proud moment to know about the passing rate of the students every year. I feel immense happiness that I could contribute something for the society and help the underprivileged kids to come into main stream education. I am proud of all the teachers who are taking great efforts without any expectations to uplift the lives of these children.”
Run completely on the motivation of the volunteers, the institute is always welcoming new volunteers who are interested in doing their bit for the children.
