Gujarat: Bond two teachers share includes their school too

VADODARA: Two teachers and the Nava Nadisar government primary school where they teach share an inseparable bond with each other. Rakesh Patel and Gopal Patel have been teaching in the school together since year 2000. What’s more, despite being from Bayad in Sabarkantha district, one of them even never followed up on a transfer application he had once made!
Rakesh was posted at the school in 1998, while Gopal joined in December 2000. Gopal belongs to Bayad and had shifted to Panchmahal after his appointment at the primary school. Before joining Nava Nadisar, Gopal was also posted in a school in Shivrajpur in Panchmahal district for a couple of years.
After his marriage, Gopal was transferred to Nava Nadisar so that he could be with his wife. After completing five years in service, Gopal applied for a transfer to a place nearer to Bayad.
“But I never followed up on my application. I never even thought of it again. My parents wanted me to come closer home earlier, but even they are happy with me being here. My father passed away in 2012,” said Gopal, adding that his parents have also visited the school and spent some time with him in Nava Nadisar. His mother continues to do so even till this day.
Rakesh, who is now the head teacher of the school, said that the school’s entire teaching fraternity were like friends. “Our relationship is more personal that professional or official. For us, our school is our first home and not the second as the proverb goes. Our residences are, in fact, are our second home,” he said. Before Rakesh, Gopal was the head teacher of the school. When the eligibility criteria for appointments of head teachers changed, it was Gopal who was on the post due to seniority but asked Rakesh to ensure that he got the post.
“He (Gopal) feared our hard work may be undone if someone else came to the school as the head teacher,” said Rakesh. Rakesh said that there were other teachers too who had taught at the school for over two decades including Gopal’s wife. All the teachers had their wards studying at this same school at some stage.