Over 58k ex-students donate 3.4 crore for Nashik ZP schools

Nashik: More than 58,000 former students of Nashik zilla parishad (ZP) schools contributed in cash to their schools across the district during Diwali. Nashik ZP CEO, Omkar Pawars' initiative aimed at bringing alums to help schools in the rural areas. The aim of this campaign was to reconnect the alums who returned to their villages during Diwali with their schools, revive the memories of the school, and strengthen the sense of pride towards the school. The initiative, "My School – My Pride," was implemented by the education department under the chief minister's Samriddhi Panchayat Raj Abhiyan of the ZP. It received an overwhelming response from the citizens, alums, teachers, and villagers of the district. As many as 58,995 alums of 3,240 ZP schools in the district participated in the initiative. The alums contributed a total of Rs 3.4 crore in the form of cash donations of Rs 65.8 lakh and goods worth Rs 2.75 crore to the schools.The alums provided educational materials, sports materials, TV, loudspeaker sets, RO filters, solar energy sets, solar lights, and other things to their schools. "Through the activity, ‘My School - My Pride,' the administration succeeded in strengthening the bonds between the former students and the schools. It also helped the students of the schools understand how education opened up career opportunities in the lives of the seniors, and motivated them to follow in their footsteps," said the ZP CEO, Pawar.