Students at an evening tuition centre at Kallaravayal tribal settlement in Kanniyakumari district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGMENT
As part of its community development initiatives, Kanniyakumari forest department has established a multipurpose training centre at Zero Point in Pechiparai and has initiated evening tuition classes for tribal children at their respective villages through trained volunteers.The multipurpose training centre at Zero Point aims at enhancing the vocational skills of the tribal women and youth and also serves as a learning hub for individuals preparing for competitive examinations. Meanwhile, the evening tuition programme has been well received among the residents of tribal settlements. The classes cater primarily to primary and middle school students, as most of the high and higher secondary students stay in school hostel.The Kanniyakumari district has around 48 kaani tribal settlements, comprising approximately 972 families. While most children are enrolled in primary and middle schools near their settlements, the academic support after school hours has remained a challenge, as many parents have limited education background and are unable to assist their children with studies.To bridge this gap, the forest department launched the evening tuition initiative from the current academic year by engaging volunteers from the same tribal settlements. Most of the volunteers are graduates, while others have completed higher secondary education. They conduct daily evening classes to support the children’s learning.The forest department provides a stipend of ₹1,000 per month to each volunteer.V. Reghu, a resident of Modhiramalai said that the evening tuition initiative for school children has been widely appreciated among the tribal settlements.“Students are enthusiastically attending the classes, as many parents here work as daily wage labourers and are unable to guide them with their studies after school,” he said.He added that the stipend provided by the forest department is also beneficial, as it enables educated young women from the tribal communities to earn an income while serving their own village.Speaking about the initiative, Kanniyakumari District Forest Officer A. Anbu stated that the objective is to nurture the talents of tribal students while strengthening their academic foundation through regular learning support.He said that the volunteers underwent a week-long training programme in May, 2026 during which they were trained in child-friendly teaching methods that make learning enjoyable and engaging rather than forced learning.Mr. Anbu further noted that each volunteer has been provided with bluetooth speakers to make classes more interactive with rhymes, poems and educational activities. In addition, the daily attendance of each village is being shared with the district forest department.He emphasised that the initiative has been designed as a long-term strategy to bring tribal students into the educational mainstream, with the aim of creating stable and secure income for the educated tribal youth. Published - July 30, 2026 08:08 pm IST
