A primary school established for the third generation of Sri Lankan Tamil repatriates is functioning with six students and two teachers, thanks to lack of affordable transport facilities. The Government LP School at Gavi in Pathanamthitta district has children studying in Classes I to IV, with headmistress Shyamala and teacher Jayasivam taking care of them.
The parents of these hapless children are the second generation of Sri Lankan Tamils, repatriated in 1964 under a rehabilitation agreement between the two countries. Spread over four settlements, around 200 repatriated families find it hard to send their children to the school. With four to five children in each of the families, parents cannot fund their wards’ education off their paltry earnings. There isn’t enough public transport facilities in the area. As most of the repatraites are employed at the cardamom plantations, earning Rs 220 a day, they cannot arrange vehicles on their own to send their children to the school.
The children are not able to rely on the two KSRTC services that operate in the region either, as these buses primarily cater to the tourists who visit this village located 28 km southwest of Vandiperiyar. Jayasivam, who teaches Tamil and English at the school, said another six children from Gavi are studying in schools in Tamil Nadu. Asked about the availability of midday meals in the school, he said a parttime worker has been engaged for preparing and serving the meals to the students. Shyamala was unavailable for comment as she had gone to the district headquarters for a conference.
