A school’s journey from closure to being sought-after

It had less than 100 students in 2003. In 2019, it broke its own records and took in 247 students in less than an hour

The Government Town Lower Primary School, Cherthala, was once on the brink of shutting down for want of students following an influx of private schools. It held out but was pushed to the margins. There were less than 100 students in its roll for the 2003-04 academic year. That said, the school has made a remarkable turnaround in recent years. From less than 100 students one-and-a-half decades ago, the number has grown to 870 in 2021. As many as 160 students have so far joined Class 1 in the school for the academic year 2021-22, which is the highest among government schools (not including aided schools) in Alappuzha.