With an increase in dropout rate, education remains a distant dream for tribal students in Edamalakkudy

As a new academic year is set to begin on Monday, proper education remains a distant dream in Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in Kerala. Despite the State government's upgrade of the panchayat's lower primary (LP) school to upper primary (UP), the number of students has been decreasing every year.
According to sources, the total number of students in the school in the 2023-24 academic year was 72, which decreased to 54 in the 2024-25 academic year. The sources said that out of the 54, nearly 30 students have no Aadhar cards, and due to this, they will be ineligible to apply for scholarships.
Given transfer
According to the sources, the headteacher was the only permanent staff in the school. However, he has already been given a transfer and will be relived of his duties on Monday.
Most of the students arrive from distant settlements and need to trek two to three hours to reach the school. The lack of adequate hostel facilities and amenities is a significant factor contributing to the rising dropout in the school, they said. 'The school has been witnessing a noticeable trend of decreasing enrolment. The State government had upgraded the school from LP to UP two years ago. However, even the board of the school has not been corrected to indicate this change,' said a source.
The school has six posts for permanent teachers, said sources. However, the lack of accommodation-facilities for them is another hurdle that prevents teachers from working here on a long-term basis, they added.
Meanwhile, Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) block project coordinator Shaji Thomas said that the SSK had already conducted a door-to-door campaign in the 21 tribal settlements in Edamalakkudy and had made parents aware about the importance of ensuring regular attendance. 'Only eight students joined Class I in the last academic year. However, this year it has increased to 16. Also, the Education department has already appointed three teachers, and they will be joining on Monday,' said Mr. Thomas. According to panchayat officials, the government is also planning to construct a hostel for both boys and girls in Edamalakkudy.
Heavy rain
The panchayat has witnessed heavy rain for the past few days due to which six settlements have been isolated. This will prevent students from these settlements from attending the school on Monday.
Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine will inaugurate the district-level Praveshanolsavam at St. Sebastian's UP School in Thodupuzha on Monday at 9.30 a.m.

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