Vijetha Residential Special School

BACKGROUND INFORMATION  

Founded in 2016, Shri Gururaghavendra Seva Trust® was established with a clear purpose: to provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to learn, grow, and live with dignity. 

Based in Karkala, Udupi District, the Trust manages Vijetha Residential Special School and its vocational training centre, serving as a vital resource for families who often have nowhere else to turn. 

Over the years, Vijetha Residential Special School has become a recognized institution under the Department of Empowerment of Differently Abled & Senior Citizens, Government of Karnataka. Yet recognition is not what defines the school—its impact is. For many students, this is the first place where their disabilities are understood, where their abilities are encouraged, and where their future is treated with hope rather than hesitation.

The school welcomes children from all backgrounds, ensuring that disability, caste, creed, religion, or economic status never become barriers to receiving quality care and education. The Trust’s approach rests on the belief that every child deserves individualized attention, appropriate therapy, and opportunities that match their potential.

With a committed faculty and a philosophy, centred on respect and empowerment, the school has grown steadily. But this growth has also created new challenges—challenges that now require a thoughtful and structured expansion to continue meeting the needs of the community.

Since 2016, Vijetha Residential Special School has provided free special education, residential support, and therapeutic services to children with Intellectual Deficiency Disability (IDD). 

What began as a small initiative supported by personal funds from the Founder, Dr. Kanthi Harish, has now grown into a full-fledged institution serving 145 students, including 36 orphans, with 100 children residing in the hostel.

Despite limited resources, the school maintains a wide range of essential interventions: special education, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, yoga, computer literacy, and vocational training. A team of 35 teaching and non-teaching staff ensures that each student receives the support required for holistic development.

The school’s work has been recognized widely — including a feature on PUBLIC TV and several prestigious awards such as the Kittur Rani Chennama State Award. These achievements, while meaningful, underline an even greater responsibility: to scale the school’s capacity to meet the community’s real needs.

Major Awards: 

2017: Doctorate awarded to Kanthi Harish, Founder, Vijetha Residential Special School – for Social Work by International Open University of Humanity Health Science & Peace

2019: Kittur Rani Chennama State Award by Hon’ble Minister Mrs. Jayamala, Dept. of Women & Child Development

2022: Best School State Award by Hon’ble Mr. Halappa Basappa Achar, Dept. for the Empowerment of Differentially Abled & Senior Citizens

2023: Best School State Award by Hon’ble Minister Mrs. Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Dept. of Women & Child Welfare

2023: India Book of Record awarded to Dr. Kanthi Harish, Founder, Vijetha Residential Special School by India Book of Records