THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the pandemic forced educational institutions to shift to online mode, the most affected were the children from tribal communities and remote areas who did not have the necessary facilities to continue their classes. As a result, many children from the settlements and other backward communities dropped out of school. However, the children at Eettimoodu, a tribal settlement at Pallippura Karikakam in Vithura grama panchayat, can continue their studies without any hurdle. Kuttipallikoodam, a mini-learning centre, is set up here for the tribal students.
The Kuttipallikoodam has a TV and other facilities. The centre has been set up by the Student Police Cadets (SPC) and SVC unit of the Government Vocational and Higher Secondary School, Vithura, and the Janamaithri Vithura police station. “Most tribal settlement areas of Vithura are situated in a remote area. It is quite difficult to reach these locations. Children of the community often travel long distances for education. However, online classes have worsened the situation. Hence, it was decided to set up Kuttipallikoodams where children will be able to continue their classes,” said Arunima R J, coordinator of the Zero Tolerance To Child Marriage Campaign.
So far, five Kuttipallikoodams have been set up in Vithura. The Kuttipallikoodam in Eettimoodu is the fourth one. Others are in tribal settlements such as Kalloopara, Tholicode, Kongamarathinmoodu, and Elavinmood. Arunima says, “As part of the campaign, these classrooms will also function as the ‘awareness hubs’. Our team in Vithura visited the Pallipura Karikakam tribal settlement. They interacted with children and discussed subjects like child marriage and human trafficking. The team also encouraged the children and the community to be the first respondent against child marriage. There was an awareness flashmob performance. Many leaflets were distributed among children and several interactive sessions were also organised.”
Facilities such as TV, whiteboard, furniture and stationery have been provided in all the classrooms. The facility includes a career studio to make students aware of future opportunities. As part of this, temporary teachers have been appointed in the career studios under the Vanajyothi project.
The inauguration of Kuttipallikoodam was held in the presence of Thiruvananthapuram Rural Additional Superintendent of Police E S Bijumon, Narcotic DySP V T Rasith, Vithura SHO Sreejith, Vithura grama panchayat vice-president Manjusha Anand and Ooru Moopan Karthiran Kanni.
The event was guided by Community Police Officer Anver K, ACPO Priya, and campaign coordinator Arunima R J. Anas Rahman Junaid Foundation is the online partner of Kuttipallikoodams.