The Association for the Advancement of Education, Yemmiganur is yet another milestone in the glittering career of Machani Somappa. The Association was formed with the primary objective of enhancing education facilities in and around Yemmiganur. Over the years the Association has put together a long list of achievements, starting with the construction, in 1953, of the building that houses the present Junior College, by collecting donations from local citizens.
In 1958, the Association added monetary contribution to a Central Government grant for the construction of an Auditorium-cum-Recreation Hall.
For the construction of the building that houses the Machani Somappa Zilla Parishad Girls High school, the Association secured an eight acre plot of land in the heart of the town in the abandoned Mahadevappa Tank, free of cost from the State Government.
The Association has played a significant role in supporting the cause of education at both primary and secondary levels. It has donated liberally, not only for starting schools in Yemmiganur but also in Nandavaram, Nagaladinne, Gudekal and Mantralayam. In addition, it has made donations to several upper primary schools.
On several occasions, the Association has come forward to help meet the growing needs of education, such as increase in the number of pupils. It contributed handsomely toward starting the Zilla Parishad High School for Boys. In Kurnool, the Association purchased and handed over a 7.5 acre plot of land for the Zilla Parishad School and also provided it monetary assistance for construction of the school building under the NREP. Further, the Association has donated land to Devibetta Primary school, and has aided the Mahayogi Lakshmamma Government Degree College, Yemmiganur, with land donation as well as building construction.
The Association owes its achievements principally to the untiring efforts of its founder Machani Somappa, whose service motto was assimilated and continued by his brother Shri M. Ramanna—the association’s next president—in carrying out educational services and in furthering all its activities.