There were no festivities on Thursday, the first day of this academic year, at Government Tribal School, Kannampady, inside the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, as 15 students from various forest settlements joined Class 1.
But cocooned in its remoteness, the school has been quietly scripting a success story, registering 100% pass in the last SSLC exam. “All the 15 students passed with good grades,” says headmaster K. Pramodkumar. Commendable achievement, considering that the number of school dropouts once exceeded the number of regular students.
The school, catering to Scheduled Tribe students, is located nearly 10 km into the forest, away from the nearest town of Valakode, near Upputhara. Established in 1956, it is the only high school inside a wildlife sanctuary in the State.
The classes are held in a hall, segregated into different classrooms. Except one, all in the last SSLC batch were tribal students from forest settlements. Of the 12 teachers, six are from outside the region. They stay here. “Instead of students-teacher relationship, it is more of a community living,” says Parent-Teacher Association president Rajan. Last year, the SSLC students were given extra classes, an effort which reflected on the final result.
Students once walked 10 km through the narrow forest path from Memarikkudy to attend school. They used to travel to and fro in groups for fear of wild elephants. There were occasions when the students stayed back in the teachers’ quarters when news emerged that elephants were sighted on the path. It was only through a long campaign that students began to regularly attend classes. Now most students are from closer settlements, though they still have to walk at least 5 km through less dangerous terrain.
The Internet is still a dream here, despite the government’s focus on smart classrooms. There is no telephone connection or proper road. Though there is a science lab, it lacks basic facilities. The fund for the school building was locally collected with the contribution of teachers, but its repairs are pending. For local people, the school is the only bridge that connects them to the outside world. Something they want to sustain at any cost.