At 7 a.m., even before the sleepy Amboori village in southern Thiruvananthapuram is fully awake, R. Ushakumari begins her day. The only teacher of the Kunnathumala Agasthya Eka Adyapaka School (one-teacher school) inside the Agasthyavanam biosphere, she does not want to be late. A two-hour trek through a steep stretch of tropical forest takes her to the Kaani tribal settlement in Kunnathumala. The school functions between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and she handles all subjects for the 14 students from Classes 1 to 4. This has been her routine for 16 years.
It was in 1997 that Ms. Ushakumari reached the settlement as a volunteer of the District Primary Education Programme, an educational initiative of the Kerala government started in the mid-1990s. Her task was to gather data on children who had dropped out of school and to motivate them to rejoin. Today, the residents of the settlement consider her one of their own.
Till the time the school got a building in 2000, classes were held on rockbeds and under the shade of trees. When it rained or when she fell ill, she would stay with the tribespeople, as the daily trek was impossible. At present, 40 families regularly send their children to the school and most girls continue their studies and land jobs.
But the government has now decided to close down multi-grade learning centres operated by single teachers like Ms. Ushakumari and replace them with regular lower primary schools. Today, as she treks back home after a day’s work, she sees huge machines forcing their way through the jungle trail that will soon be a tarred road. It will bring the curtains down on her school.
The change could render Ms. Ushakumari jobless, as she is not qualified, legally speaking, to be employed as a lower primary teacher. But that hardly upsets her.
“I have seen people die because they couldn’t get immediate medical help. Roads are important, not my job,” she says.
(Text and images by Thulasi Kakkat)
Friendly vibes:Ushakumari, the only teacher of a school in the forest settlement of Kunnathumala outside Thiruvananthapuram, and her students share a rare chemistry.
Daily stop: Before she begins her long, tiring journey to the school, Ushakumari buys vegetables and fish from the market at Amboori village for cooking midday meals for her students.
Many modes: Ushakumari gives a helping hand to the boatman on the way to school. She rides a scooter from home to the Kumbichal ferry to take the boat. From the opposite bank, she treks 4 km to the school.
Eager wait:The children wait for their teacher at the school.
One destination:Some students join Ushakumari in the trek to school.
All in order:The class begins with a prayer.
A class that eats together:Teacher and students share a hot, cooked meal.