Friday marked the beginning of a fresh chapter for the Attakulangara Central High School, with Education Minister C. Raveendranath flagging off the renovation of the school campus.
Over the next few months, the 128-year old school will undergo a makeover with the aim of restoring its erstwhile prestige.
Under the project, which is being undertaken by the Habitat Technology Group led by architect G. Shankar, three buildings and the school stage will be renovated, along with the construction of a park and parking space. A football court is also on the anvil.
The project is envisioned to revitalize the campus, while retaining its heritage, says an engineer with the Habitat group. Hence, the architectural style of the old buildings will be followed while renovating them, such as the use of terracotta tiles for flooring. Care will also be taken to preserve the rich biodiversity of the campus.
Cultural Hub
While the short-term aim of the renovation is to arrange better classrooms for students, the long-term vision is to turn the school into a cultural hub. “We intend to take forward the legacy of the school as a workshop for poets, dramatists and story-tellers,” says E.M. Radha, president of the Attakulangara School Samrakshana Samithi.
As part of this, the stage will be rebuilt along the lines of a Koothambalam , intended to host performances of traditional art forms on a regular basis.
The students are also actively involved in the drive, with several extra curricular activities lined up for their holistic development, such as Kathakali lessons and training in communicative English.
Model school
It is hoped that the school, which had been on the verge of shutting down in the wake of dwindling admissions and a proposal to hand over a part of its land for construction of a shopping complex and bus stand, will set a model for other government schools through the efforts undertaken for reviving its quality, Ms. Radha says.
It is expected that the first phase of the project will be completed by May 31. The ₹1.56 crore programme is being funded by the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI).
