UK trustees visit Gilly Mundy Memorial Community School

Three BKIT trustees from the UK visited the Gilly Mundy Memorial Community School (GMMCS) for one month in April, to support new principal Inderjeet Pal Kaur Grewal who started in March. The trip was intended to help her settle in, develop plans for new child-centred provision at nursery level at the school and recruit new staff.

Currently GMMCS has 591 children up to year 10, with 23% receiving subsidised education through Dr James Partridge Assisted Places Scheme. The school is on target to become one of the few schools in the state to meet requirements under India’s Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, which requires schools to provide 25% free spaces for elementary education to socially and economically disadvantaged children.

Other positive developments include a new project by the sports teacher, Hari Shen, who is offering evening sessions for children from local villages who are not necessarily attending the school. The school is also gathering estimates for solar panels that will make the school self-sufficient in energy – currently irregular electricity supply means significant and rising costs to run a generator. A possible plan that is being explored is for surplus energy produced by the panels to power street lighting in the local village – another first for the state. As long as we can raise the funds, we are hoping to put this fantastic opportunity in place before the end of year.