The Story of Chaitanya
It was in the mid-90s that the idea was born of a mission to help underprivileged children. Soon, a vehicle by the name ‘Chaitanya Child Welfare Trust” was created, recognized by the Income Tax Department as a charitable institution governed by a Board of Trustees. The activity commenced as a foster home for orphaned and abandoned children in 1998 at Palanahalli near Yelahanka, Bangalore.
In the first decade of its existence, Chaitanya devoted itself completely to the cause of rehabilitating abandoned children, principally new born babies. In a span of 10 years, Chaitanya cared for and rehabilitated over 80 children, most of them —abandoned in hospitals, railway stations, relinquished by parents, single women, and so on. All of them have been legally adopted within India.
As this activity started waning due to Government policies, the Board of Trustees decided in 2008/2009 to run an experimental crèche to support the toddlers of working women in the nearby village, and this was an outstanding success. Thus, was born the idea of a Primary School for underprivileged children, which would provide modern education, in English medium , along with computer literacy. The very first year, i.e., in 2010, Chaitanya Vidyalaya saw an admission of 75 children, mostly of daily-wage earners and from the economically and educationally disadvantaged section of the village society.
The school is run on professional lines headed by an experienced principal. Not to rob the parent(s) of the pride of paying for a child’s education, a token monthly tuition fee of Rs.300 is collected, besides a modest admission fee. This has been very well appreciated and has helped bring in accountability. Due to the enthusiastic support of the village community and popularity, Chaitanya Vidyalaya grew rapidly to a total strength of 1,100 (Pre-KG to SSLC) just in 10 years.
The school has registered 100% success in the SSLC exams for a fifth year in a row in April 2022. All the children got through, with a “first-class”, and many with distinction, with the highest overall average score of 97% in 2022.We are gratified that the school is making a difference to disadvantaged children in the village, in making them proficient in English and also computer literate. The present strength is 1,170, which is higher than the pre-COVID-19 number, a hallmark of the support we have received from the parental community. Children who lost their parent/s to COVID-19 are given free education up to10th standard. In addition, the school has about 75 children under the RTE (right-to-education) Act. To provide for the future growth, a second floor has been constructed with a computer lab that can seat up to 40 students. This will also ensure an optimum pupil-teacher ratio, besides a one-on-one computer experience, to cater to the rising demand. From 2022-2023 the nursery section is being operated on a 2-shift basis. The school has plans to deploy a bilingual teaching methodology as suggested under the NEP 2020 policy, to enhance the child’s comprehension and learning outcome(s).
