Close to the Trishul War Memorial is the Army Good School. Bottom of hill is school. It was set up in 2001. Classes from Nursery to Class 8. It is the biggest school in eastern Ladakh. Plan is to upgrade to class 10 soon.
Local ladies teach at the school. They are paid a small honorarium. Whilst walking around the classrooms and speaking to teachers sensed their sincerity and happiness at being able to contribute to the welfare of children in the region. There are 22 teachers.
In this and other AGS saw they had a well stocked library of books. Education is a gateway to progress. School is affiliated to the J&K Educational Board. School has 350 students as on date of visit i.e. early August 2016. As of August 2016, the Army runs 46 schools in J&K of which 8 each are in Jammu and Ladakh regions and 30 in Kashmir Valley.
Always happy to see children learning computers. The school has a large computer room and as of August 2016, hopes to get internet connectivity soon. AGS Harka Bahadur and AGS Badgam too have computers rooms. In Vocational Training Centre Drass children came there after school and a qualified local lady taught them how to work on a computer.
Students - all smiles. A Army truck, doubles up as a school bus to bring children to school. Saw such buses whilst driving from Drass to Kargil. Children are also provided with mid-day meals.
Class at work. School also has a science laboratory. Running a school in such difficult terrain is not easy. Hats off to those involved in setting up and running the school since inception.
School kids had a painting exhibition. Topics are Save energy save life, Ladakh Culture, Local Gompa, Thiksey Monastery, King of Ladakh, Causes of Air Pollution etc. To visit site of Army Goodwill Schools Click here
Kids with their teachers. Kids of this age look so cute. School fees are reasonable, admission Rs 300, up to class V Rs 250 and classes 6-8 Rs 275 per month. To see school run by Vivekanand Kendra in Tafragam in Arunachal
Click here
Teachers at school entrance. Enjoyed interacting with them. Students wanted to know more about life in big cities like Mumbai, Delhi. To see pics of Ramakrishna Mission School in Bastar
Click here
Loved the look on every child''s face, so innocent unaware of what is happening in the world. To see pics of VKV Sonpura Arunachal very backward area
Click here