Students in this Kerala government school are all non-Malayalis!

Over the last twenty years or so, Kerala has been witnessing an influx of migrant labourers from across the country. Well, much has been talked about this. But here, let’s look at how inward migration coupled by rapid urbanisation has had a defining impact on a local school in Kozhikode city.

The Byraikulam Government Lower Primary School located in Puthiyara has a total of only 29 students and all of them happen to be non-Malayalis. They come from States including Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Talking to Mathrubhumi English, School Head Teacher Deepthi K P says that, “We teach them in a mix of languages including Malayalam, Hindi and English. That’s how we mentor them, they are given all possible assistance including study materials and other available resources at our disposal.”

“In our school, we maintain a friendly relationship with our students. Interestingly, the parents of these kids want us to make their children learn Malayalam better as at least a small section of them are planning to permanently settle in Kerala. Learning Malayalam they believe would improve the academic prospects of their children during their stay in Kerala. And we teachers cater to their preferences, c’mon the school continues to thrive only because of these migrant children,” says the veteran teacher.

To watch these children read, write and sing in Malayalam is indeed a heartwarming sight. And they do it so effortlessly making us realise how talented they are!

However, as it is being told, some of these children never return to the state after going to their native places during the summer holidays, thus discontinuing their studies at the school. And for others, their continuity in studies is often affected during the visit to their villages, forcing the teachers to put extra efforts to bring the students back on track upon their return. Infact, the biggest challenge in educating the migrant children is in dealing with the problems that arise out of their change in locations at different times of the year. Meanwhile, those students who tend to spend long stretches of time in Kerala often tend to excel in their studies grasping things better compared to the ones whose studies are marred by inconsistent breaks.

“See the school is located in the heart of the Kozhikode city, the surrounding areas are always bustling with activities. With the Palayam market in close proximity, the area is now predominantly populated by migrant labourers while the natives have moved to the other parts of the city. The last time we have had a Malayali student in our school was almost a decade ago,” says the Head Teacher. 

The Byraikulam Government Lower Primary School has a long history of almost over 60 years. Thus, making it a significant part of the city chronicles. The school in its heyday is known to have had several students studying across the classes in different divisions.

There is an Anganawadi nearby the school which has almost 10 admissions, a mix of Malayali and migrant kids. 

“Representatives of political organisations and social workers often help us find sponsorships for organising various celebrations at the school. For example, in the past Hotel Rahmath and the Malabar Gold had provided food to our students on occasions such as Onam and Christmas. Lions Club of Calicut built a pedagogy park in the school premises. But the maintenance has been tough over the years since there are water logging issues at the school especially during the monsoons. Hence the contributions in different means by like-minded people have been pivotal in running the school during this challenging period,” says Deepthi K P.

After repeated requests, the authorities have fixed the drainage issues in the school and its last stage works are progressing in the nearby areas. 

“The Byraikulam school is now surviving only because of the poor migrant children. The fact shall be astonishing given Kerala schools are rated highly across the nation. The need of the hour is a proper building which will catch the attention of the general public. This will surely boost the enrollment in the school and Kerala students will return to the school if the proposed plan is executed well,” says the Head Teacher.

The staff at the school have submitted requests at the Education Department for initiating developmental works at the school. Recently, PWD officials visited the school to understand the scope of expansion. But as of now the plans have hit a roadblock as the school is awaiting financial aid in the form of MP or MLA funds or through other rightful sources. 

‘’The parents of the migrant children are very happy with the kind of teaching that their kids are receiving in our school. Even they want Malayali students back here accompanying their kids. Infact, in many other government schools there are a number of migrant kids studying along with the local students But in the case of Byraikulam, a general notion has come into existence that the school is only meant for students from other states and that is a challenge at different levels,” concludes the Head Teacher.

The lower primary school has now closed down for the summer vacations in the hopes of a promising academic year ahead.

“There are a total of five staff members in the school at the moment (4 teaching and 1 non-teaching staff). At times, a Hindi teacher arrives from the URC (Urban Resource Centre) upon our request to interact with the migrant students. However, considering the special situation at the school, I feel a permanent Hindi instructor shall be appointed for the benefit of the children,” says Geo Jaison, another teacher at the School.

The business activities in the Kozhikode city are mainly centred in the Palayam market. Scores of migrant labourers flock to the area and its surroundings in search of a livelihood. Incidentally, the Byraikulam school as told earlier lies in close proximity to this economic and trade hub of the city. Hence the labourers tend to stay with their families in small rooms available in this region, their main aim being easy access to the workplace.

And for obvious reasons, many of them would send their children to the nearest government school, which is the school in our discussion! On the other hand, the native population in the city has steadily moved out of these areas to other places with their increase in standard of living. This shift in demography has been slow but steady.

“For sure, there is at least one migrant student in all the government and aided schools in Kozhikode city. But a situation like ours, as far as I know, is not prevalent anywhere else in Kozhikode at the moment. Definitely, there won’t be many other schools like this in the entire state as well!” says the experienced Teacher.

The pandemic dealt a severe blow to the school that is struggling for existence. Things are slowly falling in place now. Recently a migrant student from the school surprised everyone by winning an A-Grade for poetry recitation at the Sub-District School Kalolsavam. Another student is preparing to appear for the Kerala Lower Secondary Scholarship (LSS) exam. The teachers are instilling confidence in these children, enabling them to script their own success stories!  

The government provides these children with textbooks, uniforms, mid-day meals, eggs and milk as per the existing schemes. Since the school has migrant students studying in it, the food suiting their tastes are cooked daily at the school predominantly using items such as dal and potatoes. Apart from these things, the teachers themselves with the help of certain voluntary organisations provide bags, kits and other school supplies to the kids.

In a novel initiative, students of MSS Public School Mavilikkadavu had distributed umbrellas made by them among the poor children at the Byraikulam school. Similarly, the Police Officers Association also chipped in with useful contributions last year by sponsoring school supplies for the students last year.

“A migrant boy who is an alumnus of our school recently successfully completed his class 12 studies at the St Joseph’s School in Calicut. He is on his way to pursue a degree now. The boy’s siblings have also studied in our school. It is definitely a matter of pride for us,” says Geo Jaison.

The school crying for attention is at the moment largely backed by its alumni, social workers, the councillor and members of various political organisations. They help the school in raising funds when it faces a cash crunch in different situations.

“Some of these students are genuinely interested in studies and so are their parents in educating them. But most of these children are being sent to school by the elders taking into account the food and care that would be provided to the kids in the institution. But the attitude is changing largely, coming to Kerala the migrants realise the importance that is being given to education in this part of the country bringing about a positive change in them,” says the Teacher.

Sources claim that there are over 30 lakh migrant workers in Kerala. In a bid to empower them, ‘Project Changathi’ was launched in 2017 as part of the Kerala Literacy Mission with the aim of teaching them how to read and write in Malayalam and Hindi languages. In the same year, the Ernakulam district administration launched ‘Project Roshni’ for enhancing social participation and educational performance of migrant children.
The  Kerala model of empowering its migrant population is appreciable and all the more inspiring!