{"id":27303,"date":"2025-01-03T07:50:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T07:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/?p=27303"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:54:50","slug":"with-rs-300-a-mysore-woman-takes-a-bold-leap-to-build-an-affordable-school-for-the-underprivileged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/with-rs-300-a-mysore-woman-takes-a-bold-leap-to-build-an-affordable-school-for-the-underprivileged\/","title":{"rendered":"With Rs. 300, a Mysore Woman Takes a Bold Leap to Build an Affordable School for the Underprivileged"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Haseen Taj, Mayraj Higher Primary School, Mysore<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Haseen Taj, a B.Sc. graduate, was the most educated in her family. At just 23, in 1995, she took on the responsibility of starting Mayraj Higher Primary School in Mysore. She shares, \u201cI was young and unsure, but my family\u2019s faith in me gave me the strength to move forward. Their trust made me believe I could take on this challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite her age, Haseen embraced the task with determination. She says, \u201cThere were moments when it felt overwhelming, but I reminded myself this wasn\u2019t just a school\u2014it was a step toward building a future. That thought kept me going.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The First Step<\/h2>\n<p>With limited resources, the school began in a small rented house for just \u20b9300 a month. Haseen recalls, \u201cWe started with only an LKG section in a community where private education was rare. Most children went to government schools, and convincing parents was a big challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the financial struggles of the area, she stayed determined. Haseen shares, \u201cI went door-to-door, explaining my vision for quality education. It wasn\u2019t easy, but I believed in the importance of giving these children a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her efforts paid off quickly. Within a month, over 70 students were enrolled, each paying just \u20b915. The humble beginning marked the start of something meaningful, driven by her perseverance and belief in the value of education.<\/p>\n<h2>Bold Choices<\/h2>\n<p>At the beginning of her journey, Haseen earned a steady salary of \u20b92400 per month as a personal assistant in the chemical department at Vasu Agarbathi. However, her desire to pursue a bigger purpose grew stronger. \u201cThe thought of creating an educational institution meant more to me than the comfort of a stable job,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<p>With only \u20b9300 in savings, she decided to resign and pursue a new career path. In retrospect, she says, &#8220;It was not an easy choice, but the hope of making a difference in education gave me the strength to leave behind security and take this leap of faith.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/apply\/?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\"  title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/CTA-School-Banner-3.jpg\" alt=\"CTA\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Building Brick by Brick<\/h2>\n<p>After operating in a rented house for the first seven years, the school&#8217;s reputation progressively increased. Haseen and her family made a bold and life-changing decision in 2004.\u201cWe sold our home to buy land for the school. It was a difficult choice, but we knew it was the right step to build a better future for our students,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n<p>With limited resources, they could only construct a simple building without any finishing touches, yet it marked a turning point in their journey. Over the years, they added more floors, turning the school into a thriving high school. Reflecting on the progress, she shares with a smile, \u201cToday, our school strength has grown to 700 students, and with LKG and UKG, it totals around 880 students. It\u2019s been a remarkable transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Growing With Varthana\u2019s Support<\/h2>\n<p>The school was focused on improving its infrastructure, particularly in the area of extracurricular activities. She shares, \u201cWe decided to take a \u20b910 lakh loan through Varthana to build the compound for our playground. The entire process was so smooth\u2014the loan was approved within just a week! It gave us the support we needed to make real progress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They have been consistent in repaying the EMIs on time, staying true to their commitments. Looking toward the future, she says with confidence, \u201cOur next step is to expand further by constructing a third floor. With Varthana\u2019s help, we believe we can achieve this and create better opportunities for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Affordable Education for All<\/h2>\n<p>What made Haseen\u2019s school stand out was its combination of quality education and affordability. She explains, \u201cEven today, high school students pay only \u20b910,000 annually. Keeping fees low has always been important to us, ensuring that every child has access to learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Haseen, education was never about making profits. \u201cI have always viewed education as a form of \u2018seva\u2019\u2014a service to the community. I truly believe that when you serve others with sincerity, the blessings you receive are far greater,\u201d she shares warmly.<\/p>\n<h2>A Chain of Compassion<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most touching examples of the school\u2019s impact is the story of a young girl who lost her father, a newspaper driver, in a tragic accident. Haseen shares, \u201cWhen her father passed away, we made sure she didn\u2019t lose hope. We supported her education until she completed high school and earned her degree. It was our way of ensuring her future stayed bright despite the difficulties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, as a mother, the same girl has chosen to enroll her children in Haseen\u2019s school. Reflecting on this, Haseen says, \u201cWhat touches me deeply is how she has chosen to give back. She now sponsors the education of three other children, keeping the spirit of generosity alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>A Lifelong Dedication to Her Students<\/h2>\n<p>Haseen&#8217;s commitment to her students went far beyond the classroom. &#8220;I often stay late, sometimes until 11 p.m., tutoring and mentoring students from socially disadvantaged families,&#8221; she says. Many of these students have gone on to have success in their careers and have never forgotten her kindness. &#8220;After they graduate, they come back to school and bring donations or school supplies to thank the institution that changed their lives,&#8221; she adds.<\/p>\n<h2>Creating A Thriving Institution For the Future<\/h2>\n<p>Haseen&#8217;s children are continuing her legacy, and she proudly shares, &#8220;My daughter has become a teacher, and my son has opened a new school with 300 students.&#8221; She also has plans to enhance the infrastructure of the school to accommodate more students and support modern learning methods. &#8220;We even want to reach out to more economically disadvantaged sections of the community and plan to expand further,&#8221; she adds.<\/p>\n<p>Her vision to make education more accessible continues through her family, ensuring that the values of kindness, education, and growth are passed down to the next generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Haseen Taj, Mayraj Higher Primary School, Mysore Haseen Taj, a B.Sc. graduate, was the most educated in her family. At just 23, in 1995, she took on the responsibility of starting Mayraj Higher Primary School in Mysore. She shares, \u201cI was young and unsure, but my family\u2019s faith in me gave me the strength to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27303"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35121,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27303\/revisions\/35121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}