There was a need to create opportunities for the children who were distressed and from vulnerable communities residing at PLANET HOPE. These children were disoriented owing to non-acceptance by children from other backgrounds, and the teachers in the regular schools too did not understand their challenges. Also, there was a need for remedial teaching measures. This called for the establishment of St. Mary’s Primary School, which was tailored exactly to meet their needs.
St. Mary’s Primary School was inaugurated on July 16, 2017, and started its journey with five teachers, two non-teaching staff, and 55 students. Previously, it was a Pre-Primary School from 2014–2016, and now the school has 10 teachers, 4 non-teaching staff, and 135 students during the academic year 2019–2020. The main objective of the school is to promote the learning culture in the locality of Bellahalli and nearby villages and stone quarries. Sustained enrichment could be achieved only through education, a steady earning and saving capacity, a broader social outlook, and the realization by the underprivileged that their tomorrow could be better than their today. Hence, there was a need to provide primary education until class 7 so that the Right to Education could be attained by the children of the slums nearby.
