Hajabba’s dream of dedicated pre-university college building takes shape, ETEducation
Mangaluru: Padma Shri Harekala Hajabba‘s long-pursued plan to build a dedicated PU college at Harekala Newpadpu, his hometown, moved forward on Sunday with the laying of the foundation stone for a two-floor Govt Pre-University College (Hajabba) building.
Karnataka assembly speaker and Mangaluru constituency MLA UT Khader laid the foundation stone for the project. The first phase of construction is supported by a Rs 45 lakh grant from Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL). Under its CSR initiative, MRPL will fund initial works, including two classrooms planned to be ready by the start of the next academic year.
“After implementing any plan, follow-up is important. In the village, 1.6 acres of land is reserved for a playground and 1.3 acres for the college building. The first batch of PU students who enrolled with trust when the college started is commendable. This year, the Rs 5 crore grant is allocated to Derlakatte school and similar funds will be allocated to Newpadu college next year,” said Khader.
Harekala Hajabba said: “After receiving the Padma Shri award, I used the funds received, including Rs 2 lakh that organisations gave during felicitations, to level the land. Now, with the CSR grant, two classrooms should be constructed quickly. This educational institution needs to grow further.”
At present, PU classes are conducted in the high school section. The college offers the commerce stream, with 11 students in 1 PU and 13 in II PU.
Harekala GP earlier approved 1.3 acres of land at Newpadpu for the college building. While the land was earmarked two years ago, construction processes did not commence until now. Hajabba, known as ‘Akshara Santa’, approached govt departments, companies and individuals for support, including seeking a larger grant for the full project.
With the MRPL assistance, the initial construction is expected to be completed in three months, and the facility is expected to serve students from surrounding areas, including Pavoor, Pajeer and parts of Konaje.
Religious and community leaders, college development committee members, local representatives, principals and lecturers attended the programme. The speakers highlighted the need to strengthen govt institutions and improve facilities to attract more students.
HH Rajeshwari, deputy director of department of PU Education (DPUE), told TOI additional courses would be introduced as infrastructure improves and enrolment grows.
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