The best reward one can receive for their hard work and determination is being appreciated and recognised for the work that one does. It was because of my efforts to nurture sporting talent in the village where I teach that I was honoured with the National ICT Award in 2016 by the then vice president Venkaiah Naidu.

My name is Sampurn Kumar Nigam and I have been serving as the principal of Bishunpur Primary School in Fatehpur block in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district since 2015. With the relentless efforts of the principal, my school was hailed as the ‘School of Excellence’ and was honoured by the then vice president.

Today, the school has not only excelled in education but has also established a separate identity in sports and games. The children here have brought laurels to their school, whether at the block level or district level.

Also Read: Teacher’s Diary: A School Where Children Are Excelling Not Only In Education But Also In Sports

I joined this school in 2011 as a teacher and was promoted to the position of principal in 2015. When I arrived at this school, its condition was poor, there were less than 100 students enrolled. Initially, I focused on education. I started integrating technology in education for the children here. The number of enrollments started to increase, and in 2015, I was appointed as the principal.

At that time, I decided to pay attention not only to the intellectual development of these children but also to their physical development.

I prioritised sports classes for the girls as boys play even outside the school premises but the girls lagged behind.

Around 2018, during the time when the Football World Cup was taking place, I formed a team of boys.

A government program called ‘My Stamp’ was being run by the post office, and we sent the photo of our boys’ team to the government.

The Indian Post issued a stamp with a Rs. 5 ticket featuring the photos of the children. Then the stamp was inaugurated by the local legislator from the state assembly. We used to give these tickets to the children as a form of encouragement whenever they achieved something in any field.

Also Read: Hunar Ki Pathshala for children of the Korku community

Since 2019, we have been organising tournaments on Sports Day, in which our students participate in every sport. I believe that sports contribute towards the discipline of the students. Our school has about 10,000 square feet of a designated sports area. We have a cricket pitch, a football field, and a small park.

Wherever our girl students went, they would win some medals or honours, and they were honoured. Eram Bano was declared the overall champion in 2018-19. In 2021, Sakshi, Srishti, Abhay, and Sachal won medals in various sports at the block level sports competitions.

Since 2018, our school has been known as the ‘School of Excellence’ throughout the country, and we also have our school’s community website. In our school, you will find interactive boards, smart classes, and a computer laboratory.