From 6 classrooms under terracotta roof to 2-storey school with studio, VR lab: A Gujarat teacher’s journey

Nitinkumar Mahendrakumar Pathak began his teaching career at Kadoli Government Primary School in Jalalpore, Gujarat since 2007, residing just five kilometers away. In 2015, he accepted a transfer to Rangpur village, 72 kilometers away in Vansda taluka. Initially, Rangpur Government Primary School was a small, single-story building with a terracotta roof and portraits of freedom fighters adorning the walls.

Over a decade, Pathak transformed the school into a double-story building with a play area, garden, and a studio for students to record news bulletins.

Pathak, now 39, has been shortlisted for the national award by the Ministry of Education ahead of Teachers Day on September 5. The school has become a hub for educational innovation, attracting numerous teachers, officers, and professors from across the state. The school, with a population of 1,982, now has 274 students enrolled, including 14 from private schools – the highest number in a decade. Pathak's son and his wife, Dipika, a primary school teacher, are proud of his achievements.

To address the dropout rate, the school produced a film on the importance of education, which was shared by the then Education Minister, Kuber Dindor, who bestowed upon the school the title: The Next Generation Government School. The school staff overcame challenges in the hilly, rocky terrain to plant trees and cover the area with plants, expanding the plant-covered area to 20,500 sq feet.

Pathak introduced a studio for students to produce monthly news bulletins in Hindi, aiming to help them learn Hindi along with their local dialects. The school also features a 7D VR lab, Science Center with 108 working models, a computer lab with 45 computers, and an in-house server.

Pathak, along with his colleagues, developed chapter-based QR codes for all subjects, which were implemented across the state by the education department. He also created a Mathematics and Science Calendar containing question-based activities for all 365 days of the year, helping students excel in competitive examinations. In just three years, 89 students secured merit positions, a testament to the school's innovative approach to education.