THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 1 pm on Saturday, two city corporation councillors were seen rushing to a classroom at Government Cotton Hill HSS in Vazhuthacaud. They were not there to participate in a programme or a public function, they were there to write the Class XII equivalency examination which was scheduled in the school at 1.30 pm.
K Komala Kumari, 67, the BJP councillor from PTP Nagar ward was the eldest candidate in the equivalency examination while Nisa Beevi, 44 the Congress councillor of Harbour ward at Vizhinjam is a former Anganwadi teacher. Both were confident of passing the exams. They were thankful to the Aksharasree initiative that is being jointly implemented by the Kerala State Literacy Mission (KLSM) and the city corporation.
Komala Kumari had completed her Class X at RKD NSS school at Sasthamangalam after studying till Class IX from St Theresas Convent HS at Neyyattinkara. She had given up her higher studies after she got a job at Ramakrishna Mission at Sasthamangalam in 1971. “That was a turning point in my life. It was a relief that I got a job at the age of 16 and continued in that job for several years. But higher studies was in my heart and I got an opportunity only now as the city corporation itself came forward with this initiative,” said Komalakumari. “I got absolute support from my family. My son who works at Technopark was absolutely supportive of my attempt,” she said.
There was also a couple that had come together to write the Class X equivalency examination at the same school, Reji Yohannan and his wife Rekha Reji, natives of Kattakada. Reji, 38, a pastor at a church at Kudappanakunnu and his wife Rekha,36 a housewife, decided to attempt the exams as they had failed to pass it. “At that time, the financial condition of my family was bad.
So I could not pass the exam. It was the same case my wife had. So now when we came to know about this initiative through my friend, I told my wife who also agreed to do the course with me,” says Reji. The couple has two children. There were many housewives, couples and families who had come to write the exams which was conducted at five centres in the capital.