Surat: Helping hands reach Covid-battered students

SURAT: As the tide of pandemic devastation ebbs, stories of desperation and uncertainty surfaces among the ravaged families where Covid-19 killed the only earning members leaving the rest, especially school-going children, faced with an uncertain future.
However, a few Good Samaritans including businessmen, promoters of schools and social workers have come forward to contribute their might to support such hapless fledglings find their wings by sponsoring their educational fees. Lions Club of Rander Adajan offered help of Rs 5,000 to each family who lost any of the parents of a child while Rs 10,000 was given to all those children who lost both parents.
“The financial aid was distributed with support of Lions Club of Coppel, Texas in the US. By doing this we just want to send a message that we should not be defeated and continue to move ahead by supporting each other,” said Rajesh Nakrani, a leader of Saurashtra Patel Seva Samaj.
Mahesh Savani, a businessman, has been helping fatherless children by paying their school fees for the past few years. He has paid fees of 9,200 children in 274 schools till now. “I have been paying needy students’ fees even before the pandemic struck. I will continue the service in schools that I am part of and also support other students as well,” said Savani.
Vilas Patil, a textile businessman, will pay school fees of 37 students. “Due to the sudden death of parents these children are in need of support to complete education. I have found 21 such children and am searching for others,” said Patil.
“The private trust-run schools will adopt all those students who lost both parents,” said Savji Hoon, president of Swanirbhar Shala Sanchalak Mandal, Surat. They are not required to pay any school fees. If a student loses his father, he will not have to pay fees for a year, Hoon added.
Other school promoters like Mahesh Patel of Vidhyakunj School in Rander and Sanjay Dungrani of Brilliant Vidhyalay in Dabholi too have offered free education to students who lost parents in the pandemic.