While several AOAs from Ahinsa Khand II, Indirapuram, were supposed to donate waste paper that was to be sold to buy furniture for the school, only a handful of people turned up...
While AOAs of Ghaziabad started an eco-friendly initiative to collect funds to provide furniture and other facilities to a government-run school in Ahinsa Khand II, Indirapuram, to mark the World Environment Day, representatives of only a few societies turned up for the donations.
The idea behind the initiative is to collect waste paper from societies, which will be sold to raise funds for the primary school.
The initiative was started under the aegis of Federation of AOAs (FedAOA) and Global Hunt Foundation, an NGO. The participants collected waste paper such as newspapers, recyclable paper, magazines and books from their societies, and delivered them to Kanauni Public School. The proceeds from their sale will be used to buy desks and benches for the school, which is located in the midst of several high-rises in Ahinsa Khand II.
Speaking to City Spidey, Alok Kumar, patron of FedAOA, said the drive will be carried out over at least the next six months. Kumar further said that despite being such a noble initiative, it was disheartening to see representatives of only a few societies turning up for the donations.
The school, despite being surrounded by several high-rise and high-end societies, does not have basic amenities required for children’s education. Speaking to City Spidey, Kumar raised an important question -- "Is it only the government’s responsibility to look into the welfare of the society?" He further added, “Strangely, people compare the performance of high-end private schools with government-run schools, but they are not ready to event step out to do their tiny bit. A little bit of contribution from the residents of this area alone can the change the face of the school overnight."
Speaking to City Spidey, Sushma Rana, principal of the school, said the school has about 800 students but does not have desks or benches. The children come mostly from Kanauni, a nearby village, and belong to poor families. The only water supply for the school is a borewell, which provides hard water that's unfit for consumption. “The initiative, if fruitful, would bring great joy for the students of the school,” added Rana.
Speaking to City Spidey, Mohammed Agha from Global Hunt, said the foundation was already in touch with the agencies that buy paper and they would sell it one with the best rate.
