Virampur

Central Kanya Ashramshala - Virampur A post basic school and an ashramshala for the tribal children were there in Virampur for about 20-22 years. There was a chhatralaya attached to the post basic school, and a goshala also. The teachers and the workers in charge of all this work also stayed on me campus there. 488 boys passed out of both the schools, but the number of girls was only 50, and not all were the tribal girls.

After more than two decades of our education work in this Virampur area, there was little improvement in the girls' education. This situation was perplexing. It seems the government too might have realised this situation. Therefore the Central Government devised a scheme for 'Kanya Ashramshala', fully granted by it, with a view to increasing the girls' education in the tribal areas. We came to know of that scheme and applied to start one kanya ashramshala, and our application was sanctioned. So we started Std. V of mis Kanya Ashramshala in June, 1999. We make all possible efforts in our two centres - one at Virampur and the other at Sembalpani to increase 'girls' education in this tribal tract of Virampur-Ambaji.

Lokniketan Vinay Mandir - Virampur A sarvodaya yojana was started in Virampur area in 1977. It was a scheme to assist the last man to enable him to stand on his own. The purpose to start that scheme in Virampur was to achieve socio-economic and educational development of the tribal people of that area. The finances were given by the state government. As a first step to achieve the objective of the Yojana, a Vinay Mandir (Post basic school) was started in Virampur with 20 students. Before that a few students desirous to get secondary education had to go fifteen kms. away.

This post basic school has Kriislii-gopalan (agriculture and cow-breeding) as a craft. Its purpose is to contribute to tlie development of agriculture and animal husbandry, on which the people of the area sustain their lives, by way of its scientific study. If these two vocations could be developed, poverty of the people could be replaced by prosperity.

From 20 students in the first year of this vidyalaya (school), there were 104 boys and 6 girls in the year 2000-2001. There are six teachers including the principal and two non-teaching workers.

The vidyalaya building has 3 classrooms, 1 prayer cum assembly hall, 1 library room, 1 laboratory room, and two office rooms. There is a overhead water tank, a gobar-gas plant, a store room for implements, latrines, urinals, a large playground, and a flour-mill. There are staff quarters for all the eight staff members. All the buildings have electricity and water supply facility.

There are 2,110 books in the library and 24 magazines are subscribed for the pupils. Good books are introduced to the students to inculcate their interest for reading. There is a well-equipped laboratory with all science apparatus for the students to make all experiments prescribed in the syllabus.

Efforts are always made in the school to improve the standard of education. The knowledge of language and maths of the tribal children getting admission in Std. VIII is very poor, but they are given regular extra coaching and personal guidance, hence they come up to the desired levels. The result of the first S.S.C. Class of this Vidyalaya was 31.6% which has reached to 89.6% in the year 2000.

We have provided 30 acres of land to the school for practical training in fanning, out of which 10 acres is irrigated, 10 acres non-irrigated and 10 acres is pasture land. An electric motor is installed on the well for irrigation. They grow wheat, mustard, castor, maize, udud, choli, tuver and in vegetables they grow brinjals, garlic, tomatoes, chillies etc. 1,200 trees have been reared on the campus which is nicely beautified into a good park. Many flower-plants add to its grandeur. Mainly the students' contribution has achieved this laudable result of environment improvement.

When the farm land was obtained, it was slopy, rocky and barren, which has been made into levelled plots by way of contour bunding. Every year organic manure is filled in the soil and green manuring is also done occasionally to make it fertile. Hence now it has become productive. 20% of the food grains, 10% vegetables, 50% fodder and 100% fuelwood is produced in this land.

Since 1989, though late, a goshala (a cow-shed) has been started which serves as a laboratory for the students in the subject of animal husbandry. The students work there daily. They do sweeping, give cow-feed and fodder to the cows, milk the cows, measure milk production of each cow and enter the same in the register, distribute milk in the families and supply it in the chhatralaya, make accounts, bring green fodder from file farm, make compost manure etc. In tills way they learn total processes in cow-breeding subject and develop skills.

In the course of their studies they leam to know various animal diseases, know their remedies and the drugs to be administered, their dosage, how to give the same. They also get the knowledge of preventive vaccienes for different ailments. They leam to castrate the young bulls to make them oxen, know its apparatus and the way to use it. They leam the process of de-horning the young calves. They leam the process of artificial insemination. In many-fold ways they are trained scientifically in this trade of animal husbandry. Thus trained, the senior students carry this knowledge of animal husbandry and better fodder farming to their homes and villages in the area and do the extension work thereby.

After the establishment of this goshala, there has been a considerable live-stock improvement in this area. Their milk production has increased and they have started selling their milk to the Banas Co-op. Milk Dairy. Thus they get more income. We organise cattle diagnostic and treatment camps from time to time, with the co-operation of the Banas Dairy and the district officer for animal husbandry. This has improved the cattle health and thereby also their milk production has gone up. At the time of such camps die students help in its management, and lielp the vaterinary officers. Thereby diey come to know how certain surgeries are performed, and cattle are treated for various ailments. The students also develop the spirit of service by participating in such works. They get very useful practical knowledge in the subject of cow-breeding.