In a triumph for the struggle to protect the 128-year-old Government Central High School at Attakulangara, the Cabinet on Wednesday cancelled the government order (GO) issued during the tenure of the previous UDF regime to hand over a part of the school’s land to the Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA).
A total of 0.8 hectares of land was allotted to TRIDA to construct a bus stand-cum-shopping-complex in an effort to decongest East Fort by removing the existing bus stop jotting the Fort wall and to rehabilitate 56 traders who were displaced for the Mele Pazhavangady flyover.
The demolition of some buildings on the school premises as well as felling of a number of trees, which are among the biggest and oldest in the city, had been strongly opposed by the school authorities, alumni, the environmental organisation Tree Walk, well-wishers of the school, and political and cultural activists.
Sajikumar G., secretary of the Attakulangara School Samrakshana Samithi, which anchored the struggle, has welcomed the Cabinet decision.
TRIDA had to withdraw from the move to pull down a section of the building following the protest.
“This is probably the first time in the State that such a struggle yielded results not merely through protest, but through remedying the issue that had made way for the problem in the first place,” he told The Hindu .
The school, which had 1,200 students in 1998, had seen a drastic fall in enrolment and had only 22 students in 2013, when the GO was issued on the request of TRIDA. Suggestions had been raised that the school be closed down, says Mr. Sajikumar.
However, over the past three years, the situation has slowly turned around, with the number of students rising to 148 at present. This was brought about by the efforts of the government and the alumni to to improve the quality of education and provide a holistic learning environment through extra-curricular activities, including traditional performing arts and farming. The school achieved 100 per cent pass in the last three SSLC examinations.
The decision to cancel the GO has come as a relief. The school can now proceed with the renovation of three buildings on the demarcated land, says T.S. Yamunadevi, headmistress.
The renovation will be crucial for setting up a higher secondary wing at the school as planned by the city Corporation. This in turn will bring more students and ensure the protection of the school from similar projects in the future, says Mr. Sajikumar.
The school, which has Malayalam, Tamil, and English medium sections, mostly has children from financially backward families, hailing from the adjacent Karimadom colony, Pachalloor, Kamaleswaram, and even from far-flung Varkala.
Founded in 1889
The school was founded as the Native High School in 1889 by T. Marthandan Thampi who was also its first headmaster. Later, the government took over the school, renaming it as Attakulangara Vernacular School and then as Central High School, Attakulangara.
On its list of former teachers are poet Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, former Chief Minister Pattom A. Thanu Pillai, social reformer Sahodaran Ayyappan, Chief Justice of erstwhile Travancore U. Padmanabha Kukkiliya, Swami Vedachalam, and Marai Malai Adigal.
