REAPING RESULTS
What keeps Virudhunagar students ahead of the curve
Patronage Of Nadars & Devanga Chettiars, Alumni Helps Schools Score Well In Class X & XII
Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com 28.05.2018
A national survey names Virudhunagar among 115 ‘backward aspiration districts’ which need to be developed by 2020. But when it comes to school education, the district south of Madurai has been a leader for more than two decades.
This year Virudhunagar topped the state by registering a pass percentage of 97.05% in the state board Class XII examinations and ranking third with a pass percentage of 98.29% in the SSLC examination. Educationalists attribute the stellar performance to role of the nadar and devanga chettiar communities in spreading the value of good education in the district, the proactive role of the districts' alumni and motivational teachers.
In the early 1900s, when a handful of entrepreneurs started ventures in the district, Virudhunagar became the hub of oil factories, Sattur of food products and Sivakasi of fireworks. A majority of the employers and employees belonged to the nadar community. The employers established schools, managed by Nadar Uravinmura to ensure better education and jobs for the wards of their employees.
“Employers felt that developing the community was a must and education was the tool,” says S Vinayaga Moorthy, secretary and correspondent of the 111-year-old BPV Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Palayampatti. The school which had 80 students in Class X registered 100% pass in SSLC examination.
Alumni of schools in the district play a vital role in motivating students and lending monetary support to their alma mater.
Many students of BPV Matriculation Higher Secondary School, for instance, have settled abroad, yet never fail to visit their alma mater when they are in India. “Old students are a part and parcel of the school’s development, and Nadar Uravinmurai spends a lot of its community fund on education,’’ says Balakrishnan, an alumnus of the school who worked in the US.
In the 1950s when then chief minister K Kamaraj opened more than 6,000 schools in the state and initiated the free noon meal scheme in schools, the government extended support to schools run by these two communities. Though teachers are no more recruited exclusively from these communities, the appointed ones continue the tradition of bringing out the best in students.
P B Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System, says the working class views education as a solution to better their situation. This section is a driving force behind many parents in the district sending their wards to school. “Also, unlike Chennai, children in Virudhunagar do not have many distractions like malls and cinema halls. Children in a place like Chennai are brought up to face cutthroat competition. But one who overworks and sees a competitor in everyone cannot perform well. Virudhunagar has fewer private schools that propound such cutthroat competition. Government schools here have teachers who are motivated to teach students without exerting unnecessary pressure on them,” he says.
“Teachers should be given due credit for taking slow learners under their wings and helping them perform better. Also, the education department holds regular reviews to monitor the progress of all students. These factors contribute towards good results,” says R Mohan, headmaster of Chathirareddiarpatti Higher Secondary School in Virudhunagar.
Raja Mohan, a teacher in Aruppukottai, says that there are 129 schools in the Aruppukottai educational district, including areas like Reddiarpatti, Sattur and Thiruchuzhi. Almost 60 are government schools and 40 government-aided schools run by the two communities. Some of the aided schools were established in 1920. These schools offer free education to children from very poor backgrounds. “Parents also feel comfortable to send their children to schools run by their communities,” he said.
All the 162 girls who wrote the plus two examinations this year at the Thangammal Periyasamy Municipal Girls Higher Secondary School passed. I Sumitra, a topper with 1123 out of 1200 marks, wants to be a chartered accountant. V K Jayashree, the school’s headmistress, says although the school is situated in Virudhunagar town, children from remote villages come here to study. “The district administration and the education department closely monitor the functioning of the schools."
What keeps Virudhunagar students ahead of the curve
Patronage Of Nadars & Devanga Chettiars, Alumni Helps Schools Score Well In Class X & XII
Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com 28.05.2018
A national survey names Virudhunagar among 115 ‘backward aspiration districts’ which need to be developed by 2020. But when it comes to school education, the district south of Madurai has been a leader for more than two decades.
This year Virudhunagar topped the state by registering a pass percentage of 97.05% in the state board Class XII examinations and ranking third with a pass percentage of 98.29% in the SSLC examination. Educationalists attribute the stellar performance to role of the nadar and devanga chettiar communities in spreading the value of good education in the district, the proactive role of the districts' alumni and motivational teachers.
In the early 1900s, when a handful of entrepreneurs started ventures in the district, Virudhunagar became the hub of oil factories, Sattur of food products and Sivakasi of fireworks. A majority of the employers and employees belonged to the nadar community. The employers established schools, managed by Nadar Uravinmura to ensure better education and jobs for the wards of their employees.
“Employers felt that developing the community was a must and education was the tool,” says S Vinayaga Moorthy, secretary and correspondent of the 111-year-old BPV Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Palayampatti. The school which had 80 students in Class X registered 100% pass in SSLC examination.
Alumni of schools in the district play a vital role in motivating students and lending monetary support to their alma mater.
Many students of BPV Matriculation Higher Secondary School, for instance, have settled abroad, yet never fail to visit their alma mater when they are in India. “Old students are a part and parcel of the school’s development, and Nadar Uravinmurai spends a lot of its community fund on education,’’ says Balakrishnan, an alumnus of the school who worked in the US.
In the 1950s when then chief minister K Kamaraj opened more than 6,000 schools in the state and initiated the free noon meal scheme in schools, the government extended support to schools run by these two communities. Though teachers are no more recruited exclusively from these communities, the appointed ones continue the tradition of bringing out the best in students.
P B Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System, says the working class views education as a solution to better their situation. This section is a driving force behind many parents in the district sending their wards to school. “Also, unlike Chennai, children in Virudhunagar do not have many distractions like malls and cinema halls. Children in a place like Chennai are brought up to face cutthroat competition. But one who overworks and sees a competitor in everyone cannot perform well. Virudhunagar has fewer private schools that propound such cutthroat competition. Government schools here have teachers who are motivated to teach students without exerting unnecessary pressure on them,” he says.
“Teachers should be given due credit for taking slow learners under their wings and helping them perform better. Also, the education department holds regular reviews to monitor the progress of all students. These factors contribute towards good results,” says R Mohan, headmaster of Chathirareddiarpatti Higher Secondary School in Virudhunagar.
Raja Mohan, a teacher in Aruppukottai, says that there are 129 schools in the Aruppukottai educational district, including areas like Reddiarpatti, Sattur and Thiruchuzhi. Almost 60 are government schools and 40 government-aided schools run by the two communities. Some of the aided schools were established in 1920. These schools offer free education to children from very poor backgrounds. “Parents also feel comfortable to send their children to schools run by their communities,” he said.
All the 162 girls who wrote the plus two examinations this year at the Thangammal Periyasamy Municipal Girls Higher Secondary School passed. I Sumitra, a topper with 1123 out of 1200 marks, wants to be a chartered accountant. V K Jayashree, the school’s headmistress, says although the school is situated in Virudhunagar town, children from remote villages come here to study. “The district administration and the education department closely monitor the functioning of the schools."
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