Led by the headmaster, teachers of Subbiah Memorial Middle School in Thennur have been contributing a part of their salary over the last five months for providing groceries, vegetables and other essentials to the struggling families of their students.
Each month, around ₹ 60,000 is collected, with the headmaster K.S. Jeevanandhan contributing nearly half of the amount to purchase essentials including rice, wheat, semolina, sugar, spices and other necessities. Along with it, vegetables are also handed over to the parents of the 150 students in the school. “We began the initiative in March after realising that more than half of the students were unable to eat even one meal a day as their parents, who worked as daily wage labourers, had lost their livelihood,” Mr. Jeevanandhan said.
The lockdown has not only hindered the students’ learning but has also affected their nutrition intake. The students had been entirely dependent on the school for their nutrition needs. They even used to take home leftover food from the noon meal to eat at home for dinner. Donors would provide breakfast, milk and other health drinks for breakfast.
The school had, during February, introduced ‘Atchayapathiram,’ an initiative to provide greens and leafy vegetables to the students as a supplement to the noon meals. However, with the lockdown in place, the children are unable to derive the utility. “Even though we are distributing groceries, I wish the authorities allowed the students and their families to come and eat their meals at the school itself,” said Mr. Jeevananthan. “At a time when they have no earnings, the school which is equipped with all utensils and LPG gas can provide for them,” he said.
The teachers have also come together to provide cooked food for around 30 families around Thennur. “When we went to visit some of our students, they referred us to families in their neighbourhood who are facing difficult times and have no help. A total of 30 such families were identified and from Thursday onwards, lunch will be provided for them,” said M. Uma, a teacher at the school.
“Hungry children cannot focus on anything else. Only if we satiate their hunger can we ask them to study. We are operating on this motto,” Ms. Uma said.