Karnataka student offers prize money for building school compound wall

Tejas, a student of Class 10 in a government school of Karnataka has offered to give his prize money of Rupees 6 lakh for the construction of a compound wall in his school. His gesture is winning hearts in his region.

Bengaluru:A student’s gesture to offer a part of the prize money, he won on a television reality game show, to build the compound wall for his school has touched many people, including Karnataka Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar.

Tejas, a 15-year-old class 10 student, won Rs 6.4 lakh in ‘Kannadada Kotyadhipathi’, a TV reality show being aired on a private TV channel.

He wants to use it to build a compound wall around his government school at Kattaya, near Hassan, to protect saplings from the cattle scouring for food.

Moved by his offer, Karnataka primary and secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar has directed the Hassan Zilla panchayat chief executive officer and the deputy director of public instruction to take up the compound work under NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme).

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The minister, who learnt about the boy’s offer through media reports, praised him and has advised him to use the money for education.

Tejas’s father Nanjappa is a farmer and mother Gowramani works as a cook in a government school.

Paramesh, his school's headmaster said, "A few days ago, the crew of Kannadada Kotyadhipathi reality show visited Kattaya school to pick students for its episode and Tejas made the cut."

"The boy answered 11 of the 15 questions, winning Rs 6.4 lakh in the show," he added.

“Every time saplings are planted on our school premises, the cattle damage them. This happens because of the absence of a compound," he said.

Tejas went on to say, "From the prize money, I would want the school to build concrete fencing. From whatever left of the prize money, I wish to spend on my sister’s marriage,” he added.

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