When it comes to education, especially in terms of facilities, Malappuram is no longer the most backward district in Malabar it was a couple of decades ago.
The educational achievements of the district have proved sceptics wrong. A spurt in the number of students passing the SSLC examination in Malappuram in the early years of the new millennium had raised eyebrows. Not any more.
The youth in Malappuram have proved over the past two decades that they are as good as anyone else in education. Through consistent performance, they proved that their triumphs had been through hard work.
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When the Malappuram District Panchayat launched its ambitious education uplift project named Vijayabheri in 2001, the SSLC pass percentage in the district was an abysmal 33.24. Today, it rivals other districts.
Malappuram is not new to accomplishments on the learning front. Success of Project Akshaya has catapulted the district into the limelight. The project was launched in 2002 as an initiative to address the backwardness of the district. And, Malappuram was declared the first e-literate district in the country.
The awakening of the district witnessed in the secondary school level education should naturally impact its higher education firmament. In tune with the changing requirements and times, several institutions have come up in Malappuram in recent years. Apart from Calicut University and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, the district hosts one of the campuses of Aligarh Muslim University. Malappuram also boasts several professional colleges, including two medical colleges, a few dental colleges and half-a-dozen engineering colleges.
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The educational growth of Malappuram students is apparent. It has its presence on campuses across the country.
The number of women from the district choosing campuses outside Kerala, and even foreign countries, has consistently risen over the last decade. Students from Malappuram are today studying in prestigious universities abroad, including Oxford and Cambridge.
Gone are the days when religious orthodoxy prevented people, especially women, from taking up higher education.
Orthodoxy
There was a time when religious orthodoxy proscribed people from studying English. But today, English is revered by groups which had once turned their back on it. Even native English speakers are appointed in some schools in Malappuram to improve the standard of English of students. Several students from poor economic backgrounds are pursuing higher education with the support of philanthropists in Malappuram. The change in people’s attitude towards education has been the main reason for this transformation. Parents in Malappuram have increasingly begun to believe that investment made in education is the best they can do for their children, and an investment of incalculable value.
(MALABAR MAIL is a weekly column by The Hindu’s correspondents that will reflect Malabar’s life and lifestyle)