: 2 Men Use Their Love for Bike Rides to Revamp 9 Schools, Increase Attendance by 15% #IndiaNEWS #Education In 2018, the Karnataka government announced that it was shutting down almost 29,000 government

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2 Men Use Their Love for Bike Rides to Revamp 9 Schools, Increase Attendance by 15% #IndiaNEWS #Education
In 2018, the Karnataka government announced that it was shutting down almost 29,000 government and aided schools due to poor attendance and the deteriorating education infrastructure in these institutions. Despite government efforts to revamp these schools, the issue has seen no respite, and an additional 5% of the remaining 50,000 schools may close down as well, the government announced in 2021.
However, a group of passionate weekend riders are trying to change the tide through their small contribution to education by revamping these schools.
Giving a fresh lease of life
In 2018, Rakesh Ramesh and Sanjay S, corporate professionals from Bengaluru, were riding bikes near Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, distributing pencils and other stationery items to children.
Walls painted at one of the government schools.
“We were trying to check the status of fair and free education in the rural area and distributed educational items to children to connect and interact with the locals. Our visit to 20 government schools made us realise the dire state of educational infrastructure in the institutions,� Rakesh tells The Better India.
On one occasion, Rakesh handed a pencil to a boy. “The kid was so excited that he started dancing with joy. His reaction surprised me. When I asked him why he was so happy, he told me that it was the first pencil he had ever received. The kid had never used a fresh pencil before,� he says.
The incident moved Rakesh and Sanjay. They decided to use their weekend riding adventures for a social cause and work in the education sector. In 2019, the duo founded an NGO named Ride For Cause.
The NGO has since revamped nine government schools in different parts of Karnataka, which has helped improve student attendance.
Sanjay says the NGO is an attempt at showing gratitude to society. “We started to identify rural government schools that were in poor conditions and on the verge of closing down. With a bunch of volunteers, we approached the villagers and sought their permission. As a part of the revamping, the schools were painted, and educational kits were provided to students, which included stationery and activity books,� he adds.
Slowly, other riders joined their cause and decided to volunteer on weekends.
He says that the group visits the schools and identifies their requirements. “We are selective about the schools as the locals should be willing to maintain and continue the smooth operations for self-sustenance,� he adds.
Recently, the volunteers started distributing 1,000 educational kits for students. The kits include workbooks designed by the volunteers. “The workbooks help students learn better and recall various concepts in subjects like English, Maths and Science,� he says, adding that about 32 schools have been identified, and 600 students have already received the kits.

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