Ferrying children is not part of his job as a school headmaster, but that hardly stops N. Udayakumar from going the extra mile.
When the Parent-Teacher Association of Government Lower Primary School, Poovathoor West, Kollam, could not find a regular driver after the long COVID-19 break, the headmaster stepped in. Currently, he drives the school vehicle, an auto taxi, covering a distance of 40 km, picking up and dropping students at rural Mavady.
When Mr. Udayakumar took over as headmaster on December 2 this year, he noticed a considerable number of absentees. “When the school reopened in November, parents used to drop their children. But slowly, there was a fall in attendance, especially among students who depended on the school vehicle. Since 90% of the students are from underprivileged families, their parents cannot afford private vehicles. But we did not want them to drop out,” he says.
Mr. Udayakumar typically starts around 8.30 a.m. so that he can complete all trips by the time classes commence. Before COVID-19, the PTA had rented a van. When the school reopened last month, the driver was not frequently available.
“Since the pandemic has left vehicle operators in dire straits, they now prefer long-distance trips. Since pre-primary students are not attending school, we also switched to an auto taxi. For most days in the last two weeks, I drove the auto taxi,” says Mr. Udayakumar.
Support for students
Though the PTA cannot provide all facilities offered by the managements of aided and unaided schools, they want to support the students in all possible ways, he says. “We want more students to join government schools.”
Mr. Udayakumar, who has been working as a teacher in the school since 2008, says he does not consider the extra responsibility a burden.
“We primary teachers are keen on preventing any fall in student strength. When I joined the school in 2008, we had only 36 students. The current strength of 154 is the result of our consistent efforts. The trips also help me maintain regular contact with parents. We function like a family,” he adds.
