Mangaluru: The Sullia Govt Junior College, which houses both high school and PU sections on its campus, is set to get a new building worth Rs 1.5 crore through a contribution from its alumnus Dr KV Chidananda, a noted educationist, surgeon and chairman of the Academy of Liberal Education.Dr Chidananda announced sponsorship of a separate block during the valedictory of the Amrit Mahotsav celebrations of the educational institution. The new block started the day after the announcement.The new building will come up on the first floor of the newly constructed Akshara Dasoha and dining block, located behind the existing stage building within the junior college campus. It will have a total built-up area of 6,000 sqft on each floor, making it a two-storey structure with an overall area of 12,000 sqft.Prakash Moodithaya, vice-principal of the junior college, said that as part of the Amrit Mahotsav, they inaugurated a Rs 1 crore building that was built from the contributions of alumni and other well-wishers of the institution. He said Dr Chidananda’s donation helped them achieve their 2030 vision, which strives for good infrastructure and quality education for a large number of the student community.Dr Chidananda said, “For a village to develop, both its village temple and its educational institutions must be strong. My revered father always attached great importance to both. In his time, when it was said that Sullia did not have a good temple, he worked hard to collect a month’s salary from every staff member in our institutions and took the lead in building a temple. In the same way, giving priority to education, he established centres of learning in Sullia to promote higher education.““I visited the school, understood its present needs, and then decided to take up this contribution,” Dr Chidananda said.Good admissionsMoodithaya said that notable personalities like former chief minister Sadananda Gowda and Girish Bharadwaj, often referred to as the bridge man of India, and others studied here. Currently, there are 640 students in high school and 750 in PUC. “There is a plan to upgrade this institution to Karnataka Public School from the next academic year, and we expect admissions to increase. Interestingly, every year, out of 200 admissions in Class VIII, at least 100 students are from private institutions,” he said.
