VIRUDHUNAGAR: Class 9 students of Government Higher Secondary School in Sivalingapuram, along with their teachers, donated Rs 13,300 to support the relief works in landslide-hit Wayanad of Kerala. According to sources, 13 students of Class 9 A, mostly hailing from poor backgrounds, along with several teachers donated the amount to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Disaster Fund.
Speaking to TNIE, S Subathra (14), a student whose parents work as a car driver and mill employee, said the students have an exclusive WhatsApp group with the class teacher to share important news they come across.
“For the last few days, we found devastating stories that unfolded after the Wayanad landslide, including loss of lives and crisis experienced by the people. We saw that many people contributed funds for the relief work, and hence decided to donate Rs 8,000.
We then approached our class teacher,” Subathra said. The class teacher, V Ganesh Pandian, said that the students discuss news items they come across the previous day, and in recent times, the majority of the discussions centered around the misery of the people affected in the Wayanad landslides.
“When the students showed willingness to contribute, their empathy and social responsibility hit me hard. As a teacher with a stable income, I felt the necessity to contribute to the cause,” Ganesh said. He informed the same to several other teachers, who eventually showed interest.
“Along with a minimal amount collected from the students’ savings, instead of their whole savings, the teachers also contributed. We collected Rs 13,300 in total,” he said.