Old ZP school in Nagpur gets new lease of life through efforts led by entrepreneurs

Nagpur, Feb 28 (PTI) A decrepit school in a village in Maharashtra's Nagpur district received a complete makeover and was transformed into a well-equipped and swanky learning facility through the efforts led by a voluntary group of young entrepreneurs.

This Zilla Parishad-run school is located in Nagazari village, a tribal pocket in Hingna taluka. A total of 95 students from Class 1 to 8, including those from 'anganwadi' centre', are studying in this school.

Young entrepreneurs under the aegis of Nagpur Round Table 83 (NRT-83), a charitable trust working towards education for underprivileged children, carried out the work through crowdfunding Chairman of NRT-83, Prateek Minocha, said, "This newly-inaugurated school building stands as the first modern structure in the tribal village of Nagazari. Firstly, we demolished the old structure that was unsafe and in poor condition, and constructed a colourful, fully-ventilated, state-of-the-art school designed to cater to nearly 200 students, complete with a children's play area." The new school has three well-furnished classrooms, modern desks, and separate washrooms for boys and girls within the building, significantly improving hygiene and accessibility, he said.

Minocha said the project also witnessed crowdfunding participation from the tribal village community and assistance from the local government body, encouraged by the consistent efforts of NRT-83 and its implementation partner, Bridge The Gap Foundation.

Nagpur Zilla Parishad's CEO Vinayak Mahamuni said this collaboration shows how public-private partnerships can transform and uplift rural education.

"Together, we will ensure that every rural child gets the best education and no one is left behind," he said.

NRT-83 secretary Dhruv Sharma said Phase-I of the project was completed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, raised through donations, innovative fundraising initiatives and corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions. PTI CLS NP