A school that was started for Telugu students at Villivakkam

“We would be very glad if all our students pursued higher education,” says M. Mohan Naidu, principal of Sri Kanakadurga Telugu Higher Secondary School.

The government-aided school caters to underprivileged students in Classes VI to XII. “There are a lot of initiatives the government has brought forth and we also make it a point that students study well so that they can pursue higher education. It has been one of our priorities,” he says.

It was started in 1947 as an elementary school in a building with a thatched roof put up on an unused land by a few education enthusiasts. The school was established with donations collected in the name of the presiding deity of Vijayawada, Sri Kanakadurga, to cater to a large number of Telugus residing in Villivakkam hamlet.

Minority status

According to the school authorities, it became a middle school in 1951 and a high school in 1954. In 1964, it became a government-aided high school and was then upgraded as a higher secondary school. In 1982, the school got the Telugu minority status by a court order. An elementary school was started at the same time on the next street with a strength of 300 students.

“It has been a challenge to ensure proper communication among parents, the school management, and students. As the parents are daily-wage labourers, they can’t afford to miss their work to visit the school to check the progress of their children. So, we have been trying to work around it. There are cases in which half the academic year is over, and we couldn’t update the parents as they haven’t come to school,” the principal says.

Pointing out that the failing students are made to pass when they reach Class X, XI, and XII, Mr. Mohan Naidu says, “The mentality that teachers should teach students only to score the pass mark must change. It does not help the students progress. We instead only see a high pass percentage. Making compulsory attendance would address such a problem.”

Students from other States

With Telugu being the medium of instruction, the school has students from Andhra Pradesh. However, it has been difficult for students because Tamil is a compulsory language, Mr. Mohan Naidu points out. “It’s difficult for students from Andhra Pradesh or Telangana to sit for the Tamil language exam because they do not have any knowledge of Tamil. Moreover, the entire syllabus for the board examinations puts unnecessary pressure on them,” he says.

Earlier this year, the School Education Department said the Class X State board students opting for their mother tongue, along with Tamil, as the main language would have to write the public examinations for 600 marks. “There should be freedom in the medium of instruction. Standards like the teacher-student ratio can be ensured, but the medium of instruction should be left to the schools,” the principal says.

Published - November 26, 2024 10:54 pm IST