Community Care
Education is the one gift that stays with a child for life. This Republic Day, Kumbh Karuna Trust set out to prove that a national holiday could also be a day of learning, competition, and recognition for students who rarely get either.
On 26th January 2026, we conducted academic examinations and Republic Day celebrations at two schools nearly 700 kilometres apart — GMS Kathariya School in Motihari, Bihar, and Jawahar Inter College in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Together, the two programs reached over 200 students, testing their academic ability while giving the day the celebratory weight it deserves.
“Constitutional values, social responsibility, and the role of education — especially girls’ education — are not separate ideas. They are the same idea, taught differently. A nation is only as strong as the classrooms it builds.”— Er. Lal Mani Singh, National President, Kumbh Karuna Trust
Motihari, Bihar: A Grand Republic Day at GMS Kathariya School
At GMS Kathariya School, students of Classes 6 to 8 sat for an academic examination that drew more than 100 participants. Er. Lal Mani Singh attended as chief guest, presiding over a Republic Day program that followed the exam. Medals, gifts, trophies, and certificates were awarded not only to the winning students, but also to school staff and the Kalyanpur SHO, in recognition of their continued support for education in the region.
Prayagraj: Jawahar Inter College Marks the Day With Merit
On the same day, our team ran a parallel program at Jawahar Inter College in Prayagraj, where over 100 students sat for their own examination. As in Motihari, the day closed with a Republic Day celebration honoring the top performers — medals, gifts, trophies, and certificates presented to students who had shown genuine merit under exam conditions, not just attendance.
Why We Run Exams, Not Just Celebrations
It would be easier to mark Republic Day with flags and speeches alone. We choose to pair it with a real academic test because recognition means more when it is earned. For many of these students — particularly girls, who remain the focus of our Shiksha Sopan program — this may be the first time their academic effort has been publicly rewarded outside their own classroom. That moment, multiplied across 200+ students in two states, is what Education First is built to deliver.