To the students at the Tribal Lower Primary School at Attathode, it was an amazing experience to come face to face with the digital world.
Thanks to the surprise gift presented to these forest-dwellers by a Non-Resident Indian settled in Houston, Reji Kurien of Kavumkal, near here. It was a laptop. With owe, they watched short films and power point presentations on the laptop with the help of the headmaster, D. Ashokan.
The laptop has been loaded with a few education software and Mr. Kurien said it would help teachers introduce these tribal kids to the digital world. He was accompanying Raju Abraham, MLA, and various officials to the tribal colony on Tuesday.
The school started functioning with 50 students, a headmaster, a teacher, and two helpers on June 1 when the Education Department celebrated ‘Pravesanolsavom’.
Among the 50 children, 22 belonged to nomadic Malampandaram families in the forest areas of Laha, Nilackal and Chalakkayam. Vehicle facility has been arranged for transporting them to the school and back to their homes.
The school faced threat of closure a month ago because of a financial crisis. However, the crisis was resolved following timely intervention of the District Collector, S. Harikishore.
The Collector has made arrangements to ensure that the children get food thrice a day, besides arranging monthly payment of transportation charges to the jeep driver, bringing him under the Gothra Sarathi scheme.
The MLA said the taluk supply officer had distributed ration cards to the tribal families at Plappally, Chelikkuzhy, and Pampa areas on Tuesday.
