‘Master' who goes all out to campaign for govt school

Hans India

5 days ago

Visakhapatnam: At a time where myriad 'avatars' of social media have become a dominant force in the marketing landscape, master Metta Mohan Rao prefers to enhance school enrolment by taking out a campaign, riding a two-wheeler all along the neighbourhood. The master, who teaches at Mandal Parishad Primary (MPP) School, Lakshmi Nagar at Gopalapatnam, opted to market effectively for the institution located in the 91st ward of the GVMC. Apart from highlighting features of the school for an enhanced enrolment, the master also elaborates about the advantages of getting admitted to a government-run institution.
In order to meet their annual targets, teachers working in private and corporate schools get into a door-to-door marketing mode during admission time. Even as Mohan Rao has no such targets to work on, the teacher volunteers to promote the MPP School of Gopalapatnam considering it as one of his primary responsibilities.
Earlier, when the master was working in Butchayyapeta government school, there was no proper approach road for the institution. Disturbed by hardships faced by the school children in reaching the campus, Mohan Rao volunteered for 'shramadanam' (voluntary contribution of labour) that aided in laying the road and making the commute easier for students.
The public address system (PAS) attached to his two-wheeler tirelessly blares out the amenities available in the MPP School that are on a par with a private school. As the master moves from one street to the other at his own pace, the loudspeaker on his two-wheeler plays out how spacious the well-lit classrooms and playground are, how cleanliness is maintained in the premises, including restrooms, lighting facility available along with student-teacher ratio.
Even special occasions like Independence Day, festivals like 'Krishnashtami', 'Sri Rama Navami' and 'Ganesh Chaturthi' celebrated at the institution form a part of his campaign.
As lack of awareness is one of the major reasons why not many parents look forward to joining their wards in government institutions, Mohan Rao says that he wants to change the trend by contributing his part to society.
'What they (parents) are unaware of is that government schools comprise highly qualified teachers. Along with giving top priority to education, moral values are instilled in students. As it is difficult to go for a door-to-door marketing-spree, I am doing it with the support of my two-wheeler so that I can reach out to a larger section of people a day,' he emphasises.
As Mohan Rao resumes his campaigning after a short break, he focuses on how students could avail mid-day meal scheme, receive school kits, among others, when they opt for government institutions through the PAS.