KT Manoj’s motivation to become a teacher while at Devagiri College, Kozhikode, ultimately lead him to join the Chandan Brothers Higher Secondary School, Vallikkunnu, Malapuram in Kerala. A Physics teacher here, he has been travelling 50 km to reach the school everyday for the past 21 years. A recipient of the National Award for Teachers this year, it comes as a continuation of the honours he had received in 2013 in the form of state awards for teachers. He has an active presence in the regional and national-level science competitions and has prepared students for winning national-level science competitions.
Manoj is grateful to the former headmaster of the school, E Neelakantan Namboothiri. “I joined this school in 1993 and got the option of moving to my native place, Kozhikode, after three years. But I preferred to continue here because of Namboothiri master who gave me the opportunity to attend national-level teachers’ fairs and competitions, and helped me present various papers at both state and national-levels,” says Manoj.
Manoj held positions as the Energy club coordinator for Malappuram district and as the National Council for Science & Technology Communication coordinator from 2004 to 2011. In 2005, 2007 and 2009, he made presentations at the National Teachers’ Science Congress held in Mysore on ‘Appreciating Physics in Everyday Life’. “ I have deviced my own instruments based on the curriculum to make the subject interesting for students. Our student projects are always among the top ten,” he says.
He was a member of the last textbook committee of State Council of Educational Research and Training, Kerala, and was also a member of the module preparation of SSLC in cooperation with the Direct Institute of Education and Training, Malappuram.
deepthi@newindianexpress.com