Velu, the ‘driving force’ beind Kudigam school

This has also helped in arresting the dropout rate.

The teacher’s dedication and commitment in ensuring that children got access to education has drawn appreciation from parents, who feel confident about the safety of their wards as they are travelling to and from the school with their sir. R Velu, a resident of Puliamarathur hill village near Odugathur, around 20 km from Vellore, makes as many trips as he can daily to take the students to school, which has 50 on rolls. He has been rendering this service for the past five years after many kids started to dropout of the school as the Kudigam hill village, which is around 10 km from the foothill at Odugathur, lacked proper road access. “On seeing the huge number of absentees, I decided to arrest the dropout rate by transporting as many kids as possible to the school uphill on time on my two-wheeler,” R Velu said.

“Though the area has a primary health centre, adequate water facilities and a school, students found it difficult to travel for lack of a proper road. The kids were forced to travel on road full of boulders and potholed stretches. Because of this daily ordeal, many students stopped coming to the school,” he said. Officials admitted that tribals of Kudigam had to trek 10 km down the hill to reach Odugathur for all their needs. Velu also would fill up fuel for his two-wheeler at Odugathur for his daily service of ferrying children to school and back home.