AIMS India Foundation

Subbuthevan Valasai Govt Panchayat Elementary School of Excellence

Monday, 24 March 2008

This is a consolidated visit/witness report by Joseph about the EXCELLENCE of Subbuthevan Valasai Panchayat
Elementary School, (Ramnad district) headed by Mr.Kalimuthan. The photos can be viewed from the gallery by clicking
HERE.

I started from Chennai on 20th March 2008 at 9.30PM by Pandian Express and reached Madurai in the next morning
around 7.30 AM. From there I reached Ramand around 11AM by moffusil bus. Mr.Kalimuthan HM took me from the bus
stand to the school by an autorickshaw and we reached the school at 11.30AM. The school is about 7KMs far from the
Ramnad town. The name of the village is Subbuthevan Valasai in which this school of excellence is situated.

Although that Friday (21st march 2008) was a holiday in view of Good Friday, around 15 children from all the classes
from 1st to 5th standard were waiting in the school for our arrival. The children greeted us well and the entire look and
feel of the school premises made me to forget that I am standing in a Govt elementary school in Tamil Nadu and that too
in a very poor district like Ramnad in literacy rate.

The HM showed the Ceramic magnetic boards attached to the wall, which is donated by AIMSINDIA. We had donated
six (6) such boards each one costing Rupees Eight thousand. The total cost of this project was Fifty thousand Rupees
including the transportation charges.Among six boards, four are installed with the wall in a class room. The other two is to
be fixed in another room which is under reconstruction work. The total strength of this school is 65. Mr.Kalimuthan is
transferred to this school since a year and half and changed the school totally.

The school welcomes with a neat and green garden which is maintained by the HM and the school children itself. The
school is painted well and the toilets are very clean and maintained well. Mostly all the children studying in this school are
from very poor families and from very weaker community.The parents are illiterate and their children are the first school
going generation. Few students among the total 65 were drop-outs when Mr.Kalimuthan came to this school a year and
half before. The HM tirelessly knocked each and every door and convinced the parents to send their children to school.
Mr.Kalimuthan reminded that many of the parents insulted and shouted while convincing them. As a result of hard work
without any hesitation, Mr.Kalimuthan proudly says that, now not a single drop-out is there in his village.

The school excels in English, Maths and General Knowledge. Mr.Kalimuthan showed some demos which struck us with
wonder by giving some really hard mathematics sums and the children resolved them in a very short time. The algebric
sums and formulas which comes in the high school syllabus are easily resolved by these fourth and fifth standard
students.

Mr.Kalimuthan is rewarded with many awards, but no action to put forth his effort into reality in many other villages or to
adapt his method of teaching to strengthen the rural education. He is ready to transfer his method of teaching to others.
But before that he says, his concept should be patented to get the rights. I have assured him that AIMSINDIA will take
the lead for getting patented his methodology of teaching.

Now it is not a dream or impossible matter to make a revolutionary change in the field of rural education with the help of
Mr.Kalimuthan and his way of teaching. I have come across hundreds of Govt and private schools and instituitions, but
this Subbuthevan valasai School is innovative and cannot be compared to any other. What a fantastic discipline of this
students? It is just like that, "No education is valuable without discipline". I asked the HM, how much period do you need
to tune a child to the present condition?; he answered, just six months of time is more than enough to channelise a
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student with good discipline and to make him/her excel in studies. I could see obviously that, Mr.Kalimuthan is highly
encouraging the students. He is also taking care of each and every child with utmost care to make every child
concentrating in the particular work they do at that moment. He also touches each and every corner of the psychological
aspects of the children while teaching and communicating with the them.

Around 1.30PM, we moved from the school after giving some biscuits to the children hoping that they will be very hungry
by waiting right from the morning for us. Mr.Suresh and Mrs.Suganya Suresh had also witnessed the school along with
me. They both are working in IT in Chennai, were Suresh's native is Ramnad. He had promised the HM to take care of
few students higher educational expenses. He will be in touch with the school, when he is there in his native and that's
the reason why I invited him too join with me. I feel proud to see govt schools like this in rural villages of Tamil Nadu
excels in such a way that these little masters is showing demos and classes at Alagappa University and other very well
known colleges and private higher secondary schools. Once again HATS OFF to Mr.Kalimuthan and the students of this
school for proving that Govt Schools can be a competitive for private schools and making education a common factor to
enrich human values and moral practices helpful in the livelyhood of man.

Mr.Kalimuthan is very happy with our donation of magnetic ceramic boards, since he was using "Thagaram Sheets"
before to teach the students. Now it is easy for him to write and teach using the board. While asking him, if anything else
can be provided for the school, he requested us to consider paying a teaching staff who is already coming to the school
and paid from his pocket money. I told him to send a requisition letter and the profile of the staff, so that we'll consider it
after consulting with our board.

For photos click HERE

- Visit report compiled by Joseph, Trustee and State Coordinator of AIMSINDIA

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