A 31-year-old software professional crowd sourced funds through social media to set up a smart classroom in the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare Primary School in Vellore.
Vellore Collector A. Shanmuga Sundaram inaugurated the facility on Tuesday.
Dinesh Saravanan from Rangapuram, Vellore, has been working in the IT industry since 2013. Every week he would visit this home town, do some social activity and then publish it on his social media account. Seeing his posts, many people sent him money to continue different social work and help others.
“I came to know that the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare Primary School at Nadaiparai, Vellore, did not have a smart class. I waited till I collected ₹1.15 lakh and then installed a projector, screen, soundproof ceiling, speakers, woofer and other facilities in a classroom. The room was painted with cartoon characters,” said Mr. Dinesh.
The school was started in 1947 and has 102 students and four teachers. “Children will be able to grasp things quickly if it is conveyed visually. Hence, the smart class will be of great help to us once school reopens,” said T. Anbazhagan, headmaster of the school.
Mr. Dinesh said he started social work in 2014 after his brother died. “He used to help others a lot,” he recalled.