‘Show me mercy’: Dedicated tutor seeks govt attention
IDUKKI : Most teachers spend their careers instructing students, while only a few devote their time to shine light into the lives of the underprivileged. Vijayalakshmi S has been living among the Muthuvans of Edalipara, a tribal settlement deep inside the forests of Edamalakkudy, for the last 27 years, educating the children of unlettered parents.
The school in Edalipara, opened under the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) back in 1997, where the 55-year-old works is one of the last two single-teacher schools in Idukki district. Her many years of effort and struggle, has seen Vijayalakshmi educate many of the youth of the settlement. Residents returned the favour by requesting the retention of the school. They also built a house in the settlement for her. Her commitment to the Muthuvan community is such that she speaks their language fluently and dresses up like their women do. At every private or public function in the settlement, she is offered a prominent place. Anu Sekharan, a 21-year-old tribal graduate recently deployed as ST promoter in Edamalakkudy, was Vijayalakshmi’s student.
“I maintain a close bond with all my students. Anu bought me a saree with his first salary and he presented it to me in front of his parents at his house,” Vijayalakshmi recounts proudly.
There are several other of her former students who serve various posts in the forest and tribal departments. “I get students even from neighbouring settlements who trust my teaching,” she says.
Poor pay & disjointed family
Unfortunately, her professional dedication has hindered her family life. Her low pay meant that she couldn’t pay the required attention. “Even now, my elder son complains that I wasn’t there to look after him and his younger brother. He keeps reminding me that they grew up in isolation,” she bemoans. When Vijayalakshmi started working at the school, her monthly salary was Rs 750. Now she gets Rs 7,000. “Hiring a jeep from the settlement to Munnar costs Rs 5,000-6,000 due to the lack of motorable roads and hilly terrain. Even if I opt for shared service, I will have to cough up Rs 2,000 for a return trip. If I decide to visit home frequently, my salary will not be enough to cover the travel expense,” she says.
Adding to her woes is the poor mobile coverage in Edalipara, which makes contacting family an occasional affair, even now. Vijayalakshmi says she used to go home only during Christmas and Onam holidays and vacations, which allowed her to save from her meagre income and educate her two sons. “Being a temporary employee, I don’t have retirement benefits,” she says, sounding desperate.
She was invited by the district collector to attend the Nava Kerala Sadas in Cheruthoni last month to explain her situation to the chief minister and seek permanent job status and PF benefits for her 27-year-long struggle. But to her despair, the meeting was called off before she got her turn.
“Even when government officials make occasional visits to the settlement, I ensure that they receive my assistance. I have given up the best part of my life to teaching tribal children. And in doing so, I have had forgone the needs of my own family. My only request is for the government to show some mercy before I become a memory within this forest,” she laments.
Sad plight
Vijayalakshmi says that as she is a temporary employee, she doesn’t have retirement benefits
Though she was invited by the district collector to attend the Nava Kerala Sadas in Cheruthoni last month, she could not do so as the meeting was called off before she got her turn