A village’s cry to keep a panchayat union primary school running in Tiruvallur

Struggling village school in Tiruvallur fights for survival with only three students, facing closure if enrolment doesn't increase.

At a small village in Tiruvallur district that even Google Maps hasn’t captured, a panchayat union primary school is fighting to survive. From one student last year, the number of students has increased to three this year.

Nestled at the end of a gravel road at Vellambakkam are three new buildings. One is for the school, another is for a library, and the other is for a self-help group. A temporary teacher has been deputed since last September to teach all the classes and an assistant principal-in-charge has been sent from another school. Two students joined a day after the school reopened on June 2 this year.

B. Rejina, 10, from Vellambakkam is the only student from last year. “Last year, it was very boring as I was the only student. Now, Sandhya is my best friend,” Rejina says, pointing to Sandhya who joined the school recently. When Rejina and Sandhya finish Class V this year, R. Sangeetha will be the only student left in the school.

The teacher says that only last year did the enrolment drop to one student. “The School Management Committee member, residents, and Rejina, too, came along for door-to-door canvassing and distribution of pamphlets, but parents were not willing to enrol their children here,” she says.

On the reopening day, only Rejina turned up for school. Soon two other children joined. Their families had shifted to the village in search of work as tree-cutters. “We are now canvassing. The nearby Mettur Colony has no school, and three children from there would join too,” the teacher adds.

S. Balaganapathy, Rejina’s father, says there were 13 students two years ago. “Last year, there were two students, including my child. But the other child left in two months. We wanted to shift Rejina when she was the only student, but we decided to wait as the school is nearby.”

M. Shanthi, the 59-year-old cook, has been the only permanent fixture at the school. “About 15 years ago, I used to cook for 40 children. Even if it’s one student, I come and cook,” she says, adding ‘dal’ to the mango sambhar brewing in the pot.