THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the first time in the history of the Sainik School in Kazhakkoottam, four students belonging to the tribal community from Attapadi have passed out with flying colours after seven transformative years. It was ‘Project Shine’, an initiative by the alumni group of the 1991 batch, that paved the way for this success, once deemed unattainable by many.
It was in 2016 that 24 tribal students from Attapadi were coached for the sixth grade All India Sainik Schools Entrance Exam. Though 15 students - belonging to various tribal government schools in Kottathara, Sholayar, Jellippara and Karara - passed the entrance test, only seven cleared the subsequent interview and medical test. The seven are R Vishnu, R Aneesh, N Binuraj, B Hari, M Midhin, B Sivakumar and Manikantan.
While Hari returned to his tribal hamlet after failing to clear the seventh grade, Manikantan was not keen to continue his studies at the school.
Meanwhile, Sivakumar had an emotional breakdown that led him to discontinue his studies, cutting the list further to just four students.
The four - Vishnu, Aneesh, Binuraj and Midhin - will appear for their CBSE board exams later this month, a Sainik School official told TNIE.
“The cadets belonging to the twelfth grade have already attended their passing out parade. They are expected to score high grades,” said an official.
Since the school’s principal Col. Dhirendra Kumar was out of station, TNIE had difficulty in reaching out to the four students.Project Shine was envisioned to commemorate 25 years of the 1991 batch’s passing out from their alma mater. The initiative has been dedicated to the memory of their batchmate, Shine P Baby, a lecturer at Rajagiri College, Kalamassery, who passed away in 2006.
“Project Shine empowered these children to dream and accomplish the ‘impossible’, but most importantly, to make their own choices. I’m confident that they will continue to make their own choices, heedless of any limitations,” said Babu Mathew, child psychologist and the project’s convener. His wife, Litty George, also played an instrumental role in the project’s success.
Currently, there are eight tribal students from Attapadi and seven from Wayanad, which includes two girls, who are studying in different grades at Sainik School.