PONDA: The community of Shilwada-Savoi Verem, comprising former students, teachers and women and senior citizens of the village, came together on Sunday, for a voluntary contribution (Shramdaan) towards the cleanliness and repair work of the dilapidated Government Primary School (GPS).
Former Sarpanch Satyawan Shilkar recalled that GPS was built back in 1990 through shramdaan, with the hard work and voluntary contributions of the villagers. Emotionally connected to the school, the villagers decided to restore its premises, and on Sunday they gathered once again, to contribute their labour in repairing the GPS. Shilkar mentioned that due to a shortage of students and a few other reasons, the GPS was shut down in the past.
Witnessing the enthusiasm of the locals, MLA and Minister Govind Gaude also joined in the repair work to restore the building. The women mentioned the presence of four self-help groups and other NGOs in the village, deciding to utilize the building for various social activities.
Another senior citizen reminisced about the GPS being built 30 years ago through the voluntary contributions of hard work, with some villagers even carrying laterite stones for the construction of the primary school. However, a decade ago, the school was shut down due to a lack of students. Many villagers had settled in various parts of Goa, and their children started attending schools there, leading to the closure of GPS. Over the past decade, trees had started growing around the school, and due to a lack of maintenance, the building had fallen into a dilapidated state. The villagers and women cleaned the area, while the youth cut down the trees that had grown around the school. Minister Govind Gaude even climbed onto the roof to repair and clean it.
