A panchayat union middle school which was totally ravaged by tsunami in 2004, has started witnessing a marked increase in enrolment thanks to the Smart Class programme that has begun in all the eight classrooms.
The Panchayat Union Middle School in Keechankuppam which had a strength of 410 students before the 2004 tsunami, saw a serious fall in enrolment since then. “Eighty students were washed away by the tsunami”, said R. Balu, Headmaster of the school.
During the academic year 2005-06, the school was temporarily shifted to Nagapattinam town, about three km from Keechankuppam panchayat. It was restored to the original campus during the academic year 2006-07. “As the campus was in a dilapidated condition due to the damage caused by the tsunami waves, most of the residents of Keechankuppam did not prefer to enrol their pupils at the school,” he added.
Though all steps were taken for the re-construction of the classrooms and toilet blocks at the school between 2006 and 2008, the enrolment was still far below satisfactory. “Even by 2012-2013, the enrolment stood at just 92,” he said, indicating the reluctance on the part of the parents.
With a view to attracting the parents, the Education Department introduced the concept of Smart Class in this school from the academic year 2013-14 on a trial basis for VII standard. “The department introduced English medium section for Standard I during that academic year and since then there has been no turning back,” Mr. Balu said. The enrolment suddenly touched 134 during the academic year 2015-16 and the strength now stands at 390 during the current academic year.
The fishermen were visibly impressed by the Smart Class environment to such an extent that they volunteered to foot the bill towards the salary for additional six teachers appointed by the Parent-Teacher Association.
The cooperation from the district administration and the District Rural Development Agency has further added to the development of the school during the financial year 2014-15. About ₹ 20 lakh was spent for providing computers, lap-tops and Wi-fi facility for all the classrooms, setting up of computer laboratory and a toilet block under various schemes, including Self-Sufficiency Scheme and infrastructure development plan. The classrooms were re-designed to the requirements of smart-classes.
The school bagged the Kamaraj Award during the current academic year. S. Palanisamy, District Collector, presented a cheque for Rs. 50,000 and a citation to the school in recognition of its services in the cause of educating the children of fishermen.
The Parent Teacher Association of the school has planned to introduce adoption scheme to ensure a sustained development. “Any philanthropist or institution can adopt a specific class and donate the expenditure towards meeting the annual salary for teachers,” Mr. Balu said.
The teachers appointed by the Parent Teacher Association have been working for a monthly salary of just ₹ 3,000. “They are neither eligible for promotion nor any regularisation of services but have been working for the educational cause of the fishermen’s children. The PTA cannot afford to pay more than ₹ 3,000,” he added.
