Rekha Negi, Lakshya Public School, Dehradun
There was this little girl who had a curious mind at a very early age. She questioned anything and everything about her environment. One of her first questions was, “If the Earth is round, why does it look flat?” She could not simply believe what people were telling her. She needed to know it for herself – not from books, but in a manner that she could understand.
As she went further up the age and class ladder, the solutions fell into place. That’s when she understood how important it is to let a child keep questioning.
“I’ve always felt that curiosity is where learning actually begins. When a child says why, we have to be ready to tell them the truth and with patience,” she shares.
She was also inclined to do maths and problem-solving. This interest led her to pursue a Master’s degree (M.Sc.). But she didn’t stop there. She realized she wished to teach and share what she had learned, help others learn in the same manner in which she did.
That took her to a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), where she began to study more about the way children learn and think. “Teaching is not about lessons. It’s about understanding how a child views the world and guiding them step by step,” she says.
To stay strong in her subject and stay ahead of evolving standards, she went on to clear the NET exam – an esteemed achievement for teachers in India. “I understood that I needed to keep developing myself. Scoring well in NET made me feel confident enough to go on being a teacher,” she continues.
This is how the path of Rekha Negi was mapped – step by step, with a belief that learning must be from a child’s own interest. “Whenever a child inquires about something, we can take it as an opportunity to shape their thinking. Those are not interruptions. They’re opportunities,” she claims. “If we pause and clarify, we give them confidence in their own voice.”
Her faith in this style of learning was close to her heart. She realized that teaching alone wasn’t sufficient – she must create a setting in which children could pose questions, inquire and imagine.
It took courage for her to take the next massive stride.
In 2005, she started the Lakshya Welfare Society. It was not a project for her – it was the launch of her dream to provide quality education to Dehradun children, especially those from modest means.
“It wasn’t simple. But I wanted to create a space where learning would not feel like a burden and could be joyful and meaningful,” she speaks softly.
By 2009, her dream became a school – Lakshya Public School. An institution where kids weren’t just supposed to memorize answers, but were challenged to question, think and grow with confidence.
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Dealing with the Initial Challenges
Lakshya Public School started in a rented place with around 50 to 60 students, and classes from Nursery to Grade 4. “At first, we were happy to see children coming in, and soon we had a serious problem,” Rekha says. “We had so many students wanting to come and not enough classrooms for them.”
She continues, “That’s when we decided we had to build our own school on the land near our house and have a steady residential school for the future.”
Even though we were always short on money, the school continued to grow. “It was the support from the community and a strong belief in the belief that made us continue to struggle through every problem,” Rekha says.
Today, Lakshya Public School is a respected institution of learning and educating hundreds of children in Dehradun: “Watching the school develop little by little has been a journey of hope for all of us,” she says.
Beyond Academics: Creating Responsible Global Citizens
Rekha believes education is not complete without caring for the environment. She wanted Lakshya Public School to teach values that help make the world better. The school focused on getting rid of single-use plastics in every part of its work.
She says, “We saw a lot of plastic waste around the school. Wrappers, foils, and packaged food littered everywhere. To stop this, we started a ‘Say No to Plastic’ campaign.”
Students were asked to avoid packaged snacks and bring homemade food instead. Plays and community events helped spread the message beyond the school.
Rekha smiles and says, “We changed how we celebrate birthdays too.” Instead of plastic-wrapped chocolates, students share homemade traditional sweets like kheer and halwa. Families who cannot bring treats have the school celebrate their child’s birthday.
She adds, “For every child’s birthday, we plant a tree to mark their growth.”
“When a child plants a tree on their birthday, they learn that as the tree grows, so do they,” says Rekha. This way, the school teaches children to respect nature while they learn.
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Supporting Families & Encouraging Excellence
Lakshya Public School primarily engages families whose parents are daily wage laborers, farmers or run small businesses; and who dream of a better future for their children, regardless of limited means.
Rekha explains, “We don’t focus on giving fee waivers or discounts because we want students to understand their parents’ struggles. The school believes in value-based education to give every child the best learning experience.”
To help bright and talented students, the school started the Shaheed Shri Kundan Singh Negi Scholarship, named after her father-in-law. She says, “Students must pass a selection test to earn the scholarship.”
“Scholarships are not only for academics but also for achievements in arts, sports, and other areas,” she adds.
“This way, no deserving student has to stop their education because of money. We don’t just measure success by grades, but also by talents in other fields,” says Rekha.
“We want to raise not just good students but future leaders,” she shares.
Varthana: A Long-Term Trusted Growth Partner
Running a good school today needs strong funding, especially when digital tools like computer labs and smart classrooms are so important. In 2017 and 2018, Lakshya Public School faced a financial challenge. “That’s when we came across Varthana, and everything started moving in a better direction,” says Rekha.
In 2018, the school took its first loan of ₹5 lakhs which helped with basic expansion. A year later in 2019, they received a ₹25 lakh top-up loan to develop the school further. Then in 2020, another ₹35 lakh loan supported major improvements like building more classrooms, setting up science labs, a new library, and introducing smart boards for digital learning.
“Our library now has over 2,000 books including encyclopedias, novels and storybooks that help students read beyond their textbooks,” she shares.
Rekha doesn’t see Varthana as just a lender. “They feel like part of our school family,” she says. “The Varthana team was very supportive. They didn’t just fund us, they helped solve our problems quickly and easily.”
With this steady support, the school’s buildings and classrooms improved, learning became more engaging, and many more students started enrolling. “Without Varthana’s help, we wouldn’t have reached this stage so soon,” she says.
Vision For the Future
Lakshya Public School’s journey is still going on. The dream is to turn it into a school that every parent hopes to send their child to. “We want to expand to higher classes so that children can complete their education from Nursery to Class 12 in one place,” says Rekha.
She also wants to set up more advanced science and technology labs. “We are working on improving our digital learning tools to prepare students for the future,” she adds. The school also plans to improve teacher training to match high education standards. “We want our teachers to be the best so our students get the best,” she says.
“My biggest dream is to make Lakshya Public School a place that every parent dreams of,” the school leader shares with quiet hope.
Rekha believes that education should always be meaningful. “Education is not a business. It is a service, a mission, and a responsibility,” she says. “At Lakshya, we are working to shape children who will make a difference in the world.”
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