History

To gift a mother’s love in the form of an institution to those who needed it the most, Smt Menaben Keshavlal Mehta’s son, Shri Thakorlal Keshavlal Mehta, offered to fund the establishment of this Gujarati medium school in 1963. This was the first school in North Gujarat that focused on grooming special children to become independent and responsible citizens of the country. Besides, it also provided accommodation to students who came from afar in Shri Thakorlal Keshavlal Mehta Boys Hostel, which was built in the same year within the campus. Post its foundation, its integrated education ideology gained such recognition that it was later adopted by the Government of Gujarat.

The Challenges

However, this was not always the case. Banaskantha, being a remote area of Gujarat, used to be far from the development of mindsets in the rest of the world. And a blind child for a student used to be an idea so outrageous for the unlettered people of the district that when the teachers of Vidyamandir visited the rural areas, they were met with hostility or rigidity. It took a lot of determination on the teachers' part to eventually convince such parents that education is possible and a requisite for all, irrespective of their physical condition.

The school strives to spread awareness among the people, and even today, it arranges for them to come and visit Mamtamandir to see what feats the Divyang students achieve with just a little encouragement and lots of genuine affection. The school's alumni have never relied on society’s sympathy to build a valuable life for themselves. Smt. Menaben Keshavlal Mehta School has indeed served as a beacon to all the other institutions of Mamtamandir!

In 1977, the school building was restructured to house more students with the help of the Indian government. The efforts made by Vidyamandir in the field have been recognised with national awards and several other accolades.

School Hours:
Mon. to Fri. - 10:30 a.m. to 05:35 p.m.
Sat. - 07:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Principal:
Dr. Atinbhai Joshi
Mamtamandir,
Opp. Shashivan, Dairy Road, Palanpur-385001.
Ph. 02742-252586
schoolforvi@vidyamandir.org