Neyyattinkara’s first school was started in 1857, the year when Sepoy Mutiny erupted in the country. Those who have been to the sleepy town for Thiruvananthapuram revenue district school school youth festival might have seen the school - Town LPS, Neyyattinkara.
The school has withstood Time and its whimsical turns. You might have seen it. It stands next to Sreekrishna Temple, famous for Marthanda Varma’s ‘Ammachiplavu’.
If you stop by and ask about the school’s history, its teachers would take you to a room which has a black-and-white photo of Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai. According to ‘Edukal’, a book on schools in the district published by the District Panchayat in 2007, this was where the journalist studied. “The house where he was born - ‘Koodillaveedu’ - is not too far from here,” says Manju B V, a teacher at the school. However ‘Edukal’ lists his house name as Mullappalli Veettil. “That was where he stayed later on, on Fort Road,” says Manju. According to ‘Edukal’, the school was a palace used by Travancore royalty, until Ayilyam Thirunal gave it away to set up a school for girls. The school later became a co-ed school. Today, the school has a smart classroom. It has several active clubs. Every year, the school brings out a handwritten magazine, with contributions from its students. The school is doing well, according to its teachers; however, its strength is only 56.
S T Chandraraj, a senior teacher at the school, says, “Students on the other side of Neyyar are willing to come here. However, there is no ferry nowadays. Our students had written letters to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, asking that a bridge be built here, two years ago. We are still waiting.”
The school’s headmistress Lathika Devi says that she is hopeful that the bridge will be built soon. “Our students are very talented and garner praises when they go to other schools. We take good care of our wards. We do not allow them to bring water bottles, and give them lukewarm water daily. I hope more students get to study here,” she says.
Town LPS, Neyyattinkara, Neyyattinkara’s first school, was started in 1857
A room in the school has a black-and-white photo of Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai
According to ‘Edukal’, a book on schools in the district published by the District Panchayat in 2007, this was where the journalist studied.
Chandraraj says that many parents want their children to study in English medium. “We would have had more students if we had English medium,” he says.