My very first alma matter is Lower Primary School in my village, where I studied from 1st to 5th. Located in Trivandrum district, the school locally is called Ottivilakom school, by the place it stood. 4 of us brothers studied here. It was close to our home that is no more, after the demise of our parents, as we were settled far & wide, it was sold.
The thirst for knowledge started here. The teachers were good. Everybody knew everybody & it was carefree learning from 10 am to 4 pm. In those times (1960’s), in the impoverished state of Kerala, all government schools were under the ‘CARE’ (charity) program of US government that ensured that the needy students got uppuma & milk during lunch break.
The original school building got replaced into a concrete structure later. The school was losing students steadily on account of the craze of parents to send their children to English medium CBSE schools which had come up aplenty all around, in private sector.
Late last year I got a call from my Trivandrum city based brother about the school. A new headmistress who had taken charge there, came up with a vision to improve the school and the teaching standards. She contacted and got together the locally available alumni & put before them problems of the school. Those attended the meeting, contacted those located outside and formed a WA group.
The parents, mostly from lower socio-economic strata, were not sending wards to the school, as the school did not have an infrastructure that was student friendly. Though it has a school van, there wasn’t any guarantee that it worked, thus conveyance was always a challenge for the students. She, ably supported by the Panchayat vice president, also an ex student, requested the alumni’s help to improve the facilities. The alumni formed a committee & made a budget for it which came to INR 20 lakhs.
The alumni then came up with individual contributions that came to INR 2 lakhs which took care the school van repairs. That was when my brother called me to come down at my convenience which I did. We looked for other sources of fund. We could contact an alumnus in Dubai and he assured to give a CSR fund of INR 5 Lakhs & work started at the right earnest.
A good connect with the Director of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) fructified in getting a grant of INR 10 Lakhs. Lo & behold, we could do all that we had planned for the school. Class room came into life with creative art work inside. The small playground was improved. Teaching equipments were bought. The staff room got new furniture. The enthusiasm of the teachers to transform the school was very evident.
On Sunday the 30th April, the headmistress and teachers came to the school to receive some of us who chanced to be there. They took us around the school with pride. We felt truly elated to see their happiness,
The alumni could give back something to our alma matter where we learnt to write the very first letter.
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