We recently received an update on the facts and figures for the school and it was fantastic to see that numbers of pupils are continuing to rise and that the school continues to deliver a recognised excellent education to its pupils.
However, with this wonderful news, there is inevitably a generation of some problems – problems that are wonderful because they demonstrate that the school is doing above and beyond what it sets out to do but problems nonetheless.
The school now has more pupils than ever who come from a very impoverished background. This is fantastic as it exactly this type of child that the school was set up for – children that would have no access to formal education in any other way. This means that there are more children requiring scholarships to be able to attend but it also means that these pupils are coming from backgrounds that mean that they cannot afford the school uniform. The school uniform is so important – it gives them a sense of identity and belonging but also reinforces the equality of all who attend.
We now know that we have 50 children who cannot afford the uniform – the total cost of which is £22 per child. The school’s staff were going to give up part of their salary in order to purchase these uniforms. We, the trustees, don’t feel that this is a fair solution to the problem. We have, therefore, set up a ‘special fundraiser’ for the purpose of buying these uniforms.
We thoroughly appreciate everything that LEARN’s supporters already do and we certainly do not want to put anyone under pressure to feel that they should be doing more. We are just providing our supporters with the information and inviting you – if you can, and if you want to, to make a special donation to our uniform fund. You can do this by donating on our JustGiving page (putting in the message section that it is towards the purchase of uniforms) or by contacting us through our enquiries link.
As always, thank you for your interest and support from all involved with LEARN and Shree Gyanjyoti School.
