Though the extraordinary Gazette notification of May 19 sanctioning Class V at Government Tribal School, Attathode, the State’s second-largest tribal settlement, came as a great solace, the school authorities and the parents are in a fix over the future of the children who have completed their Class V there the previous academic year.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had facilitated Class V at the school in 2016-’17.
However, non-sanctioning of upper primary classes have landed the five children — Sreekanth, Soumini, Soumya, Sanoj and Sarath — who have already completed their Class V studies at the school in a fix. Ranni MLA Raju Abraham said that the tribal children who have completed their Class V should be provided with the facility to do their Class VI studies at the school. He said he had contacted the Education Minister’s office and requested the authorities to address the issue.
Education Department sources said they received request for starting only Class V at the school and notification was issued accordingly.
Mr. Abraham said he would meet the Education Minister on Wednesday seeking the latter’s immediate intervention to sort out the issue.
The district administration had sent a request for sanctioning upper primary classes at the school in 2016. But the efforts to upgrade the school came to a halt with the shifting of the then Thiruvalla Subcollector Sriram Venkitaraman who had initiated the project.
The SSA had posted a special teacher for Class V and the five children were given classes at a small room adjoining the office room. The Education Department authorities here too forwarded the recommendation for upgrading the school to the Director of Public Instruction a year ago.
Started in 2015
The tribal school started functioning with 50 students, a headmaster, two teachers, and two helpers on June 1, 2015. The school faced closure threat in the next one month itself with the State failing to provide basic infrastructure and food for the children there.
However, the committed efforts of the staff and the school development committee, coupled with the effective intervention of the local MLA, the District Collector, and the Tribal Welfare Department salvaged the institution.
Transportation
A majority of the children at the school belong to the nomadic Malampandaram tribe. The district administration has also arranged a van to transport the children from various tribal hamlets at Pampa, Nilackal, Chelikkuzhy, and surrounding areas.
