THOOTHUKUDI: A 32-year-old woman, hailing from the marginalised Kattunayakan community in Nazareth, recently secured a job as a saleswoman at the Sasthavinallur Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS). On Monday, Tiruchendur revenue divisional officer Guru felicitated the woman -- G Jaya of Bethaniya Nagar in Nazareth -- for the efforts she had made, all the while juggling between her job as a domestic worker and contributing to a women's self-help group.
Jaya, who joined the Sasthavinallur PACS on Tuesday, told TNIE that she is still determined to secure a government job by clearing the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) or the railway examinations.
Speaking on the impediments for people from her community in securing a government job, Jaya said, "Many students from the Kattunayakan community can study well, but they could not land a government job due to the lack of a community certificate. A few had even dropped out after Class 10 since educational institutions demand community certificates."
A native of Rayagiri in Tenkasi district, Jaya has been married to Vadivel, a drum artist from Bethaniya Nagar, and the couple has a six-year-old son. Jaya said she has regularly been preparing for various competitive examinations.
She had scored 1,018 marks in her Class 12 examinations and completed B Com through distance education. Attributing her success to Nazareth Village Administrative Officer (VAO) P Sivaraman's guidance, Jaya said, "He sends study materials for competitive examinations, and also pays the subscription fees so all the 60 families belonging to the Kattunayakan community in Bethaniya Nagar get to read newspapers." Jaya added that she had previously cleared the written examination for police constable, but could not clear the physical examination.