Mysuru, 23 July

The government-run Attigodu High School in Periyapatna taluk, Mysuru district, has been selected for the Swaccha Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP) 2025-26, a national award instituted by the Union Ministry of Education for hygiene and cleanliness practices. 

Only three Karnataka schools were chosen, with Attigodu winning in the High School category, alongside Mulkadu Ellare Government Lower Primary School (Udupi) and Kannamangala Higher Primary School (Bengaluru Rural) in other categories.

Schools were assessed on parameters including water and toilet facilities, handwashing with soap, operation and maintenance, behaviour change, capacity building, and waste segregation. The MGNREGA scheme played a key role in Attigodu's win, with the Department of School Education and Literacy upgrading it into a model school.

The department spent Rs 49 lakh under MGNREGA and Rs 3 lakh under 15th Finance Commission grants for upgradation, including Rs 29.50 lakh on playgrounds (2015-16), Rs 12 lakh on a compound wall, Rs 95,000 each on rainwater harvesting and a basketball court, and Rs 14 lakh on a dining hall. The school also has a permanent borewell ensuring round-the-clock drinking water for students and staff, connected to all classrooms.

Headmaster Nagashetty expressed pleasure at the recognition, thanking the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and the local Gram Panchayat for the upgrades that helped secure the award.