Tribal students from Wayanad enjoying the waves on their maiden visit to the Kozhikode beach on March 17. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
For some time, they just stared into the sea, taking in its vastness and majesty. But soon a challenging wave soaked their feet and dared them to venture in, and the rest was pure joy. Around 350 tribal students from various parts of Wayanad district had their first experience of the sea as they visited Kozhikode beach on March 17 (Sunday).
The students of the age group 9 to 14 were brought to Kozhikode on an excursion under the programme named ‘Kaluthu Sutho’ (‘let’s roam around’ in the native language of the Kattunayakan tribe), as an extracurricular activity from the bridge course centres in different parts of Wayanad. The centres are part of the Kudumbashree Mission’s special project to bring down the dropout rate of tribal students in schools. “When we started in 2017, the dropout rate of tribal children in Wayanad was 70%. But now, we have brought it down to 10%,” said the tribal special project coordinator Sai Krishnan T.V. The cultural programmes and the excursion are part of the efforts to sustain their interest in studies, he added.
The group consisted of 230 students from Thirunelli panchayat, 90 from Noolpuzha panchayat, and 45 from others representing 40 bridge course centres across the district. They were accompanied by parents and a few teachers. Besides Mr. Sai Krishnan, tribal programme manager Jayesh V. also accompanied them.
“At least 90% of these students experienced the sea for the first time in their life. For around 70% of them, it was their first out-of-the-district trip,” Mr. Sai Krishnan said.
The group started their Kozhikode tour from the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium where the sky views and the 3D animation shows provided them a novel experience.
‘Nanka Pathana’ (‘our songs’ in the Katunayaka language), a choir group of the students, had its debut performance at the Kozhikode beach in the afternoon. They presented seven tribal songs and six patriotic songs for beach-goers before they rode up the Wayanad Ghat.
