Most of them stopped going to school after Class VIII or Class IX and are employed for more than a year. Having come to work and earning for their family, they have continued education and now plan to pursue higher education.
As many as 60 workers of KPR Mills appeared for Class X examinations this year and 54 have passed. They are all aged above 18 and some are even 19 or 20. Kavya from Tiruchi, who is working at the Neelambur unit of the mill, has scored 455. Another student has scored centum in science.
According to general manager of the mill K. Somasundaram, most of them have been studying at the mill for a year or so. They are employed at Neelambur, Karumathampatti, Arasur or Sathyamangalam unit of the KPR group.
The units have laboratories, permanent teachers and facilities for these workers to continue studies. They attend classes after the work hours.
All the 54 students, who completed SSLC this year, will continue studies. The number of workers in Class X is less compared to those appearing for Plus-Two examinations or those studying an undergraduate course, he says. More than 500 students are doing undergraduate courses at the units of the mill. Apart from the education facilities, the mill also provides financial support to those continuing studies.
