Mevarkal government LPS has been the only primary school in
the tiny village of Mevarkal for about nine decades. The school has an alumni
of several successful persons that include an IAS officer, a couple of doctors
and professors, several distinguished government officials, and a number of
professionals, NRIs, peasants and politicians. Over the years, it has been the
village lighthouse that showed the path to education to a number of children
from all sections of society.
Perched at a cliff-like terrain, the government LPS in
Mevarkal was once surrounded by picturesque paddy fields and lush greenery of
coconut trees and typical village flora. The fields are now mostly barren, save
for the banana or tapioca plants. The village flora has been swept aside by a
large swathe of rubber trees. The school’s charm is also on the wane.
The number of students joining the First Standard is the
barometer of a school’s performance. It used to have been above 40. Up until
the 1980s, the number had never dropped below 30. But the 1990s and 2000s had
seen a steady decline in the number of students taking admission to the First
Standard. The last few years have seen an
average of 15–16 enrollments every year. This is despite the active canvassing
from teachers and the School PTA members.
Why villagers are not
sending their children to Mevarkal government LPS
The good things in life are available free of cost – from
oxygen to email. Add schooling for the children
in Mevarkal to that list. The school offers many advantages, such as
- Excellent faculty
- Pollution free environment
- Good facilities including a computer lab and
free study materials
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stress-free learning
Yet, Mevarkal LPS gets only a small fraction of the students
enrolling in the First Standard from the village. Why?
We have done a random survey on why the villagers are opting
for the distant private schools when they have a school at their neighbourhood
that offers quality education for free. The answers were varied and reflective
of the prevailing social outlook.
Some people have chosen the private schools just for the
heck of social status. Some people think that the school did not have good
teachers or facilities. Some others think that enrolling in a private school
would ensure a bright future for their kids. There was a common complaint voiced
by virtually all respondents, which is the central point of this write-up: that
the school does not offer transportation facility.
The complaint about teaching staff is not fair. It might
have been true about a couple of decades or so ago. Then the teachers had not
done anything to arrest the decline in the number of students. However, the
current crop of teachers is perhaps as good as it can possibly be. They are
young and highly qualified. Some of them have even won awards. By the look of
it, they go about their work earnestly and show great care for the students.
The results are there for all to see. Many students of Standard
IV and V speak reasonably good English. The students generally show a good
awareness about the things happening around them. They have won prizes in art
festivals and sports meets at sub-district level.
Even if you tell all these good things about the school to
the people in the village, who are certainly not the typical villagers any more,
they would still be reluctant to send their kids to the government LPS in
school. Why? The school does not offer transportation facility. That is
something the private schools have in abundance and Mevarkal LPS does not.
From this year onwards, the PTA has rented a minivan, a Maruti Ace with a
seating capacity of 15.
Project School Van
The parents and the children seem to have welcomed the move.
But the problem is the cost – the van rent and driver’s salary. In the long
term, the arrangement is not affordable and sustainable. Everybody agrees that
the only solution is to buy a van and operate it. The MLA of Kilimanoor, Sri.
B. Sathyan, has agreed to help. But the MLA fund can cover only the two-third
of the total cost of the vehicle.
Most auto-dealers offer special vans for educational
institutions. A van with a seating capacity of 20 costs about Rs. 10 lakhs on
road. Even after the MLA’s contribution, the PTA has to find Rs. 3.5 lakhs for
the van alone. Another Rs. 2 lakhs will be needed to cover the maintenance and
running costs.
The project for buying a school van for Mevarkal LPS needs
at least Rs. 5 lakhs. This is a sum the PTA of the school alone cannot afford. In
many schools in cities and major towns, the alumni association is financially
strong enough to donate the entire sum. But not in Mevarkal LPS. They need the
help of virtually all individuals who can understand the need. If you have read
so far into this article, we know that you care. And we count on you.
We request you to make your donations to the following
account.
Name: K. Kamala (Headmistress) and K.S. Thulaseedharan Pillai
(PTA president)
A/c no: 67207675869
Bank: State Bank of Travancore (SBT)
Branch: Alamcode
IFSC: SBTR0000667
We have started this joint account of a school teacher and
the PTA president specifically to collect money for the Project School Van. We
can’t give you tax exemptions or any other so-called value-added side benefits.
The smile on the children’s faces on the school compound would be your only
reward. We believe it adds value to your life.
