Presidency Girls School Classrooms Block
Normally, everyone is so caught up in the daily routine of life that we are unable to think about what we can contribute back to the society - perhaps due to a paucity of time or energy. However, when 20 young people get together on a regular basis and actively plan on Community Service, contributions are immense. And when it is on a purely volunteer basis - there are no Administrative costs other than the actual cost of the project itself - more than twice the work can be achieved for the same amount of money.
In the Presidency Girls School, we, the members of Madras Mylapore Round Table # 3, have seen the abject condition in which the girl students have had to receive education. We have been doing what we can to improve their lot, having already built 20 Toilets for their use and a Noon Meal Center (shelter with a full fledged kitchen, a water well and a motor for pumping water) for providing free meals to the children. With the creation of this classrooms block these children from the poorest sections of society in India will really benefit by getting an improved education.
Madras Mylapore Round Table # 3 is part of Round Table India, an organization of businessmen and professionals in the age group of 25-40 years. Its prime objective is community service through the fellowship of its members. The National Long-term project is "Freedom Through Education" for children.
The Presidency Girls School caters to 2500 students and is woefully short in terms of infrastructure. Madras Mylapore Round Table #3 plans to build classrooms to meet these requirements as a part of the project "Freedom through Education" of Round Table India. Round Tablers are young well-to-do business and professionals in the age group of 24-40 years. The prime objective is community service through the fellowship of its members.
The plan is to build a modern classroom block covering an area of 2750 square feet, comprising of 4 classrooms, within a period of 6 months. The building has been designed at no cost by one of its own members, a leading international architect who has executed many renowned projects around the world. All the members of the association are volunteers who undertake community service work for the organization at no charge.
Students of the Presidency Girls Hr. Sec. School are girl children who hail from the poorest sections of society in Chennai. With homes in slums, most students have one-parent families with the mothers working as Maids, Vegetable Vendors, etc. Almost all of them are deprived of sources of regular income, relying purely on day-to-day casual employment. This school provides free education for its students, providing them with afternoon meal also.
The Presidency Girls School, which focuses on the improvement of the girl child, is one of the older schools in Chennai and has very good performance by its students. Although the Government runs the school, most of the classrooms are falling apart, and sometimes classes are held under the trees. This school provides a viable alternative to the girl child, who is normally ignored for education in the poor sections of society, and usually burdened with household work instead.
Providing infrastructure facility for educating the girl child not only benefits the individual, but also benefits the future leaders, and virtually the cradle of the society itself.
Round Table 3 has in the past supported various other educational institutions and orphanages by providing for Infrastructure in form of Furniture, Fans, Lights, Water Pumps, Sewing Machines, etc. Children of assisted institutions hail from the poorest sections of Chennai who cannot afford to pay for their education. Scholarship for school tuition fees and medical assistance for people in need are some of the other small initiatives undertaken on a regular basis.
Round Table 3 has also formed a corpus called the "Child Education Trust", which exclusively provides sponsorship of college fees of Professional colleges for deserving candidates. This is again for students from the lower sections of society who have the potential to achieve, but are unable to pursue education due to economic reasons. This Trust has over the last many years successfully helped many candidates.