91-year-old Dharwad school inculcates life skills in students through sports

BENGALURU: Mallasajjan English Medium School is no conventional name for an institution. Malla, in Kannada, means strong and sajjan translates into virtuous. To know why this Dharwad state-board school — from kindergarten to class 12 — got this peculiar name, one needs to dig into its past.
The school was started in 1928 by KG Nadgir as Mallasajjan Vyayam Shala, a physical training centre for youngsters, during the freedom struggle. Nadgir believed youngsters needed to be physically fit to fight the British.Over the years, the school changed its form — in 1956, it turned into a formal college for physical education affiliated to the SSLC board, before diversifying into a mainstream school in 1997.
It’s now a progressive education space which tries to integrate sports and academics, sticking true to its founding vision. Armed with an MA in education from the acclaimed Azim Premji University, Vinay Nadgir, who’s the founder’s grandson, is at the helm guiding the school away from the path of rote learning.
“Sport plays an important role in an individual’s development. Apart from physical benefits, it helps develop character. We inculcate life skills through sports. For instance, there are several values that a simple game of football can teach a child. So, we include extracurricular activities and sports into the curriculum,” said Vinay. His stint at the university, Vinay adds, taught him leadership and child psychology, and facilitated his professional development as a teacher.
The school has 1,000 students on its rolls, who are mentored by 50 teachers. It has a pass percentage of 96% and draws pride from many of its students who have won medals in basketball, gymnastics and handball at the national level. The annual fee is Rs 18,500.
Vinay is bringing in changes in the teaching processes, introducing activity-based learning and making students self-motivated learners.
“We have introduced a literacy programme that encourages the reading habit among children. We are also changing the assessment pattern: The new one will be more child-friendly, where teachers don’t ask questions that test memory skills, but help a child identify his/her weaknesses and work on them. However, even though we’ve grown and diversified, we’ve stuck to the core mission,” he said.
JOURNEY OVER THE YEARS
1928: Mallasajjan Vyayam Shala begins as a physical education centre
1956: Launch of certificate course in physical education affiliated to SSLC board
1974: Introduction of bachelor degree in physical education affiliated to Karnatak University
1997: Introduction of Mallasajjan English Medium School