Our story is not just the history of a school; it is a testament to the transformative power of education and the unwavering belief that every child, especially every girl, deserves a future illuminated by knowledge. It is a journey that began not in a boardroom, but on the dusty rural roads of Baktarahalli, a place we call home.
In the early 1980s, our village of Baktarahalli in the Sidlaghatta Taluk was a world away from the progress seen in other parts of the nation. Here, the silence in the classrooms was deafening. The literacy rate for boys hovered between a mere 6% and 10%, but for girls, it was practically non-existent. Schooling was not a priority; survival was. Families, struggling to make ends meet, saw more value in the paltry daily wage of ₹40 or ₹50 their children could earn in nearby factories or fields than in the distant promise of an education.
This reality was deeply personal for our founders. Having grown up in this very area, they knew the struggle firsthand. “We pursued with great difficulty our education in those days,” recalls our founder. “I used to walk around 7 kilometers to and fro, a total of 14 kilometers every day, just to attend high school.” It was this lived experience, this memory of a long walk to a distant dream, that planted the seed for what was to come.
After moving away and establishing their careers, our founders and their friends from the village felt a persistent calling to give back. A consensus emerged, driven by a singular, powerful question: “Why not we take initiative to start a school, at least to make the girl child educated here?” The focus was clear and resolute from day one: to break the cycle of illiteracy for the girls of Baktarahalli.
With this noble vision, we formally registered our trust under the Indian Trust Act in 1986 and, with the government’s permission, opened the doors of our school. The initial days were our greatest challenge. Building a school was one thing; filling it with students was another. We faced immense resistance from parents who were not prepared to send their children, their helping hands, to a classroom.
Our mission became one of persuasion and perseverance. We went door-to-door, family-to-family, counseling parents on the long-term value of education over the immediate gain of a day’s wage. We had to be both advocates and enforcers, explaining how education could lift their families out of poverty while also reminding them of the Prevention of Child Labour Act. In some instances, we had to create a “scary situation,” threatening prosecution to ensure children were in school rather than at work. Slowly but surely, the tide began to turn. Our initial roll of 60 students began to grow, climbing towards 300.
Recognizing another significant barrier, we saw that our students, upon completing primary school, faced the same daunting 15-kilometer daily journey for high school that our founder once did. We knew this would be an insurmountable obstacle, particularly for our girl students. Therefore, between 1994 and 1995, we took a leap of faith and established our own high school, creating a continuous and accessible path to education right here in the village.
The late 1990s brought a new and formidable challenge: finance. The very families we had worked so hard to convince could not be expected to pay fees; their sending their children to school was, in their eyes, a contribution in itself. We operated on a shoestring budget, relying on the generosity of a few benevolent individual and corporate donors who kept our mission afloat.
A significant turning point came in 2008 when the Smile Foundation came to our rescue. For over 12 years, they were our pillar of support, not only providing substantial funding but also enriching our school with invaluable resources like advanced teacher training programs and modern teaching-learning materials. Their support allowed us to stabilize, grow, and focus on delivering quality education.
Today, we find ourselves at another crossroads. Due to their own internal challenges, the Smile Foundation has had to withdraw its funding. While the government has graciously taken our primary school (up to the 7th standard) under its grant-in-aid program, covering the salaries of those teachers, our high school remains entirely self-funded. The responsibility for the wages of our dedicated high school teachers rests squarely on our shoulders, and this has created a significant financial strain.
Despite the financial uncertainties, our spirit remains undimmed. The school stands proudly on three-and-a-half acres of government land, a well-built campus that is a beacon of learning for the community. It is an institution built for the people, and we operate with the understanding that this property will one day be gladly handed over to the government.
Our work extends far beyond academics. We are deeply embedded in the community, conducting medical camps and frequent parent-teacher-student meetings. We often find ourselves addressing the social and domestic problems of our students’ families, over 90% of whom live below the poverty line.
The results of this holistic approach are reflected in our students. They are bright, ambitious, and consistently achieve a near-100% pass rate in their SSLC exams. This incredible success would be impossible without our most precious asset: our teachers. We have a band of exceptionally dedicated educators who, despite receiving meager wages, are profoundly committed to our mission. Many have been with us for over 15 to 20 years, their loyalty stemming from a shared belief in our work. They work from the bottom of their hearts, and it is their commitment that has enabled us to achieve all that we have.
We have come a long way from that 14-kilometer walk. We have built a school, empowered a community, and educated generations of children who were once destined for the fields. But to continue this vital work, to sustain our high school, and to continue paying the modest salaries of the teachers who are the lifeblood of our institution, we need your support.
We invite you to become a part of our story. Your contribution is not a donation; it is an investment in the future of a child, the upliftment of a community, and the enduring power of education. Join us, as we continue our journey to ensure that for the children of Baktarahalli, the path to a bright future is no longer a long walk, but a welcome reality.
Every contribution empowers a child’s education and helps build a brighter future for rural communities. Join us in transforming lives through education. Your donation directly impacts a child’s journey.
BMV Education Trust, Bhaktharahalli, Sidlaghatta Taluk, Chikkaballapur
+91 9448313553
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