Two students attend classes at government primary school at Rethinapuram village in Kanniyakumari district. Photo: Special Arrangement
At Rethinapuram village in Thidal panchayat in Kanniyakumari district, an English medium government primary school has been running with one student since the beginning of this academic year.The class IV student gained a companion on September 2, 2025, when another child enrolled in class I, raising the total strength of the school to two. A teacher, who got transferred this year from Thottamalai Government Primary School, has been assigned to take classes for the two students.Nestled in the green landscape paddies, the school’s strength has been declining over the past 10 years. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it declined even further, as most of the students moved to private schools. The school, which had 11 students in 2024, fell to just one this year.The teacher, handling both students at the school, said: “Among the 11 students, three passed out of class V, and the remaining ones moved to other government and private schools in the same locality.”The teacher said the mother of Kelton Manzo Anit, studying in class IV, was determined to keep her son in the same school. “One of the students who passed out was his sister. Even then, his parents did not move him from the school.”“Until last week, the school had a headmistress and me as teachers. But due to the poor strength, she has been transferred to another school in the district,” he added.Deepa, mother of Kelton, said: “When our village has an English medium school, why should I move my son to another school? Had the school had higher classes, I would have let my daughter continue in the same school as well.”She said her son was studying well, and had been trained well in reading and pronunciation and he would study in the same school until he passed out from class V.On the breakfast and noon meal for students, the teacher said, “I bring breakfast, along with the noon meal, from Government Primary School in Ananthapuram, where the noon meal is prepared early for these students.”He added: “When the headmistress was here, we canvassed villagers to enrol the students, pointing out that the school could face closure otherwise. I am hopeful that more students will return to the school either after the quarterly examination or from the next academic year.” Published - September 03, 2025 07:26 pm IST
