Mysuru: A temporary school has been established at the Mysore Palace for the children of mahouts and kavadis involved in the Dasara festivities. The new facility, equipped with a Nodal Officer and three teachers, will commence full operations on Monday, Sept 9, from 9.45 am to 3.30 pm.

The school, set up in a room near the Jayamarthanda Gate of the Palace, replaces the previous Tent School arrangement. This initiative by the Department of School Education and Literacy aims to ensure that the children of mahouts and kavadis receive uninterrupted education.

Teachers Noor Fathima, Mousin Taj, and Divya Priyadarshini will handle classes for students from grades 1 to 10. On the first day, 12 students attended, with numbers expected to rise as more mahouts and kavadis arrived, along with the second batch of Dasara elephants.

The school anticipates an attendance of 30 to 40 students, who will receive daily mid-day meals provided by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). To foster a love for learning, instruction will employ the ‘Nali Kali’ method, incorporating charts, pictures, maps, and other visual aids.

The school’s operations will be supervised by DDPI Javaregowda, Block Education Officer (South) C.N. Raju, Block Resource Coordinator (BRC) M.D. Srikantaswamy, and Nodal Officer S.K. Manjula.