‘Turn Anaikatti tribal school into higher secondary school’

Coimbatore: Activists and people in and around Anaikatti have appealed the government to turn Anaikatti tribal school into a higher secondary school. The school, which has 400 students, now offers classes only till Class X. Without Classes XI and XII, tribals say many students drop out after Class X.
The school that was started as gurukulam type in 1966, became a primary school in 1970 and a high school in 1994-’95.“It serves many small villages like Sholayur, Vattalakki, Agazhi and Vellaikulam near Anaikatti and even children from Attappady, who want to study in the Tamil medium, come to the school,” says Joshua G P N, a social activist.
After finishing Class X, the students have to travel 16km to Chinna Thadagam Government School by bus to pursue their education. “From Anaikatti, there is a bus every half an hour. But students have to take the 8.15am bus, which is the most crowded, to reach school at 9,” he said. Besides some students are afraid to travel.
This year 58 students wrote the Class X exams from the high school. They will have to start travelling to Chinna Thadagam to continue their education. “But many students drop out because of the difficulty of travelling,” Joshua said.
The lack of Classes XI and XII is also blamed for the school’s falling student strength, which used to be more than 1,000 in the 90s. “Many students opt for private schools as there are no higher secondary classes in the tribal school,” said Sandhya P, a villager.