{"id":29757,"date":"2025-05-30T11:01:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T11:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/?p=29757"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:31:22","slug":"she-grew-up-asking-why-now-this-leader-runs-a-school-that-celebrates-curiosity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/customer-story-rekha-negi-lakshya-public-school-dehradun","title":{"rendered":"She Grew Up Asking \u201cWhy\u201d &#8211; Now This Leader Runs a School That Celebrates Curiosity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Rekha Negi, Lakshya Public School, Dehradun<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"video-cen\">\n    <iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7_wK4G18NaQ?si=i4kF3m71uZ53Q1N9\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<p>There was this little girl who had a curious mind at a very <a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/how-to-transform-early-childhood-education-with-modern-pedagogy-and-technology\/\">early age<\/a>. She questioned anything and everything about her environment. One of her first questions was, &#8220;If the Earth is round, why does it look flat?&#8221; She could not simply believe what people were telling her. She needed to know it for herself &#8211; not from books, but in a manner that she could understand.<\/p>\n<p>As she went further up the age and class ladder, the solutions fell into place. That&#8217;s when she understood how important it is to let a child keep questioning.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;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,&#8221; she shares.<\/p>\n<p>She was also inclined to do maths and problem-solving. This interest led her to pursue a Master&#8217;s degree (M.Sc.). But she didn&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>That took her to a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), where she began to study more about the way children learn and think. &#8220;Teaching is not about lessons. It&#8217;s about understanding how a child views the world and guiding them step by step,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p>To stay strong in her subject and stay ahead of evolving standards, she went on to clear the NET exam &#8211; an esteemed achievement for teachers in India. \u201cI understood that I needed to keep developing myself. Scoring well in NET made me feel confident enough to go on being a teacher,&#8221; she continues.<\/p>\n<p>This is how the path of Rekha Negi was mapped &#8211; step by step, with a belief that learning must be from a child&#8217;s own interest. &#8220;Whenever a child inquires about something, we can take it as an opportunity to shape their thinking. Those are not interruptions. They&#8217;re opportunities,&#8221; she claims. &#8220;If we pause and clarify, we give them confidence in their own voice.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Her faith in this style of learning was close to her heart. She realized that teaching alone wasn&#8217;t sufficient &#8211; she must create a setting in which children could pose questions, inquire and imagine.<\/p>\n<p>It took courage for her to take the next massive stride.<\/p>\n<p>In 2005, she started the Lakshya Welfare Society. It was not a project for her &#8211; it was the launch of her dream to provide quality education to Dehradun children, especially those from modest means.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t simple. But I wanted to create a space where learning would not feel like a burden and could be joyful and meaningful,&#8221; she speaks softly.<\/p>\n<p>By 2009, her dream became a school &#8211; Lakshya Public School. An institution where kids weren&#8217;t just supposed to memorize answers, but were challenged to question, think and grow with confidence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also Read:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/how-a-team-of-11-members-built-a-school-in-kalburgi-for-holistic-learning\/\">How A Team Of 11 Members Built a School in Kalburgi for Holistic Learning<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Dealing with the Initial Challenges<\/h2>\n<p>Lakshya Public School started in a rented place with around 50 to 60 students, and classes from Nursery to Grade 4. \u201cAt first, we were happy to see children coming in, and soon we had a serious problem,\u201d Rekha says. \u201cWe had so many students wanting to come and not enough classrooms for them.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>She continues, \u201cThat\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Even though we were always short on money, the school continued to grow. \u201cIt was the support from the community and a strong belief in the belief that made us continue to struggle through every problem,\u201d Rekha says.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Lakshya Public School is a respected institution of learning and educating hundreds of children in Dehradun: \u201cWatching the school develop little by little has been a journey of hope for all of us,\u201d she says.<\/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-2.jpg\" alt=\"CTA\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Beyond Academics: Creating Responsible Global Citizens<\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>She says, \u201cWe saw a lot of plastic waste around the school. Wrappers, foils, and packaged food littered everywhere. To stop this, we started a \u2018<strong>Say No to Plastic<\/strong>\u2019 campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Students were asked to avoid packaged snacks and bring homemade food instead. Plays and community events helped spread the message beyond the school.<\/p>\n<p>Rekha smiles and says, \u201cWe changed how we celebrate birthdays too.\u201d 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\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n<p>She adds, \u201cFor every child\u2019s birthday, we plant a tree to mark their growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a child plants a tree on their birthday, they learn that as the tree grows, so do they,\u201d says Rekha. This way, the school teaches children to respect nature while they learn.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also Read:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/from-60-students-to-1250-how-this-mp-teacher-champions-learning-beyond-the-classroom\/\">From 60 Students to 1,250: How This MP Teacher Champions Learning Beyond the Classroom<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Supporting Families &#038; Encouraging Excellence<\/h2>\n<p>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.\n<\/p>\n<p>Rekha explains, \u201cWe don\u2019t focus on giving fee waivers or discounts because we want students to understand their parents\u2019 struggles. The school believes in value-based education to give every child the best learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To help bright and talented students, the school started the Shaheed Shri Kundan Singh Negi Scholarship, named after her father-in-law. She says, \u201cStudents must pass a selection test to earn the scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScholarships are not only for academics but also for achievements in arts, <a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/why-equal-representation-in-school-level-sports-matters\/\">sports<\/a>, and other areas,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis way, no deserving student has to stop their education because of money. We don\u2019t just measure success by grades, but also by talents in other fields,\u201d says Rekha.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to raise not just good students but future leaders,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n<h2>Varthana: A Long-Term Trusted Growth Partner<\/h2>\n<p>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. \u201cThat\u2019s when we came across Varthana, and everything started moving in a better direction,\u201d says Rekha.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, the school took its first loan of \u20b95 lakhs which helped with basic expansion. A year later in 2019, they received a \u20b925 lakh top-up loan to develop the school further. Then in 2020, another \u20b935 lakh loan supported major improvements like building more <a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/fostering-innovation-in-classrooms-strategies-to-ignite-young-minds\/\">classrooms<\/a>, setting up science labs, a new library, and introducing smart boards for digital learning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur library now has over 2,000 books including encyclopedias, novels and storybooks that help students read beyond their textbooks,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n<p>Rekha doesn\u2019t see Varthana as just a lender. \u201cThey feel like part of our school family,\u201d she says. \u201cThe Varthana team was very supportive. They didn\u2019t just fund us, they helped solve our problems quickly and easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With this steady support, the school\u2019s buildings and classrooms improved, learning became more engaging, and many more students started enrolling. \u201cWithout Varthana\u2019s help, we wouldn\u2019t have reached this stage so soon,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<h2>Vision For the Future<\/h2>\n<p>Lakshya Public School\u2019s journey is still going on. The dream is to turn it into a school that every parent hopes to send their child to. \u201cWe want to expand to higher classes so that children can complete their education from Nursery to Class 12 in one place,\u201d says Rekha.<\/p>\n<p>She also wants to set up more advanced science and <a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/classroom-technology-impact-on-attention-span\">technology<\/a> labs. \u201cWe are working on improving our digital learning tools to prepare students for the future,\u201d she adds. The school also plans to improve teacher training to match high education standards. \u201cWe want our teachers to be the best so our students get the best,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy biggest dream is to make Lakshya Public School a place that every <a href=\"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/the-role-of-parents-in-supporting-a-schools-vision-and-mission\/\">parent<\/a> dreams of,\u201d the school leader shares with quiet hope.<\/p>\n<p>Rekha believes that education should always be meaningful. \u201cEducation is not a business. It is a service, a mission, and a responsibility,\u201d she says. \u201cAt Lakshya, we are working to shape children who will make a difference in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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, &#8220;If the Earth is round, why does it look flat?&#8221; She could not simply believe what people were telling her. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":29759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29757","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\/29757","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=29757"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35115,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29757\/revisions\/35115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}