Stimulating Setting

HAPPY LEARNING

Kovalam Government High School

The splendid Kovalam Government High School was built by the Venkat Trust in association with the Tamil Nadu Government. Since the school opened in January 2013, the Trust has built and equipped a state-of-the-art laboratory and library to add to the IT room and Etihad Sports Ground, alongside which is an avenue of trees to provide shade for the pupils.

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Large Sports ground sponsored by Etihad Airways. It has a volley ball court, badminton court, football field, and cricket pitch and is also suitable for all kinds of track and field events.

The High School now has a beautiful full-set snooker table, donated by a generous supporter and transported to Chennai by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WBSPA). Already massively popular in India (the game of snooker was invented in Bangalore, India in 1875), the WBSPA is keen to develop snooker in schools where it is considered to have many educational benefits – particularly in the field of numeracy skills as well as recreational benefits. Pupils now have lessons and training by a professional coach from Chennai and are starting to have great success in inter-school competitions.

 

Panchayat Union Primary School

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The School in the year 2004

The local primary school – The Panchayat Union Primary School (popularly known as “Muttai School”. Muttai is the Tamil word for Egg). Eggs were given as part of the Tamil Nadu Government’s Mid-day meal schemes.

The school was ill-equipped, over-crowded and under-staffed and the Trust focused its initial efforts here. Since then things have moved on and VMT is now involved in many other aspects of education in Kovalam.

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The School in the year 2014

One of the first things the Trust did was to fit out the Panchayat School with all kinds of furniture and equipment. The desks arrived in style by bullock cart and soon all the children had a desk and bench, the teachers had table and chair, partitions made the space work harder and lockers kept books dry and safe.

Twice a year the Trust buys school uniforms for the Panchayat School students and also equips them with text books and stationery. And it’s also provided wells, water pumps, walls, fans, etc.,

The Venkat Tuition Centre

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The Venkat Tuition Centre, every penny for which – land, bricks, mortar, equipment came from our donors, is a great success and a focal point in the village. Over two floors, there are three main rooms, all of which were separately sponsored and this is the Trust’s HQ.

Janakiraman Community Hall

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The Janakiraman Community Hall, named in recognition of JR’s tireless work for the Trust, opened in September 2016.

Since the Trust was set up in 2004, JR has dedicated himself to improving education in his village so that no child is denied further education through lack of facilities or funds. The Community Hall is the new centre of learning and training activities for the sponsored children and is also be used for other VMT and village community events.

The Community Hall shares the site with the VMT Sports Ground, which was built on land bought by the Trust and is hugely popular. It is  used as part of the Panchayat School curriculum. After school, pupils from all the schools in the village love to go there and play cricket, volleyball, badminton and basketball. Volleyball is a particular favourite and the village now has four teams. The annual VMT Sports Day for sponsored children and their families takes place here.