Awarded for teaching, this Tirunelveli educator invests her prize money back into her students 

Government Higher Secondary School teacher Isabella Chellakumari has used the award money to buy mobile phones for two students phones, who were unable to attend online classes during the pandemic.
Awarded for teaching, this Tirunelveli educator invests her prize money back into her students 

TIRUNELVELI : Government Higher Secondary School teacher Isabella Chellakumari, who received a Dr Radhakrishnan Award for teaching from the State government, has used the award money to buy mobile phones for two students phones, who were unable to attend online classes during the pandemic.

An English teacher working at the Moolakaraipatti Government Higher Secondary School, the 41-year-old Isabella, received the Dr Radhakrishnan Awards on Teacher's day for her efforts in teaching students during the pandemic. When schools were closed, Isabella travelled to five villages to teach her students for over three weeks when she noticed many missing online lessons.

On Teachers Day, she received award money of Rs 10,000, including Rs 2000 given to cover travel expenses. Realising the plight of two students, who were unable to attend online classes, she gifted them smartphones worth Rs 7,500 each, after adding another Rs 5,000 from her own pockets. She handed over the phones to the students through the district collector V Vishnu.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Varshini, a Class X student said her father works as a truck driver and he is the only one in the family with a smartphone. "As I couldn't attend the classes, I would take a bus once a week to reach my friend's house to get the class notes. Whenever I had doubts, I would call Isabella teacher for clarification," she said. "Now that I have the phone, the teacher has assured me she will send me the class videos and help me score well this year," she added.

Meanwhile, a Class VIII student, who also received a phone, said he comes from a single-parent family that could not afford a smartphone. Thanking Isabella, he said she had helped him excel in his studies.

When The New Indian Express contacted the teacher, she said, "If these phones could change students' lives then I will be more than content. We will continue to work hard to teach students in a better way if a lockdown is imposed again."

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com