THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an age when smartphones compete for children’s attention, Government Vocational and Higher Secondary School, Vithura, has scripted a different story where books continue to shape young minds.
Here, reading is not confined to library periods or exam preparation. It has become a shared tradition involving students, parents, teachers and alumni, creating a culture that extends beyond the classroom.
The journey began in 2015 with an idea by the school’s Student Police Cadets (SPC) unit. Instead of gifts, students celebrating birthdays were encouraged to donate books, while every newly enrolled cadet contributed one as part of joining. The initiative, called ‘Book Cradle’, steadily grew as teachers, parents, alumni and well-wishers added hundreds of books to the school library.
But stocking shelves was only the beginning, says Anver K, Community Police Officer of the school’s SPC unit. “To inspire students to read those books, the school launched Akshara Deepti, a monthly reading promotion programme that encourages children to read in both Malayalam and English and submit reviews.”
The best entries receive books, gifts and cash prizes every month, thanks to the support of ‘Ormakkoodu’, the alumni association of the school’s 1981 SSLC batch. Over four years, it has helped turn reading into a habit rather than a classroom exercise.
The school’s next innovation brought books into homes. Introduced in 2023, ‘Amma Vayana’ (Mothers Read) encourages mothers to read alongside their children and submit their own reflections.
Few stories illustrate this better than that of student Vineetha and her mother Mini S Vineetha, the school’s Best Student Reader of 2025, continued reading even during SSLC preparations, while Mini, named Best Parent Reader, has read more than 15 books through the programme.
Behind these initiatives stands a committed alumni network led by writer and social activist Vithura Ashok, teacher Jayakumar and others who continue to sponsor books and prizes.
