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HISTORY - A story of Compassion, Courage and Commitment

Little Flower English Medium School is presently a Primary School with classes from LKG to classes IV with 230 students. At the beginning of every academic year in the month of June a higher class is being added to the school.

The school is situated in a typically rural corner in the village of Udayamperoor, which is 15 kms south of Kochi, Kerala. The students belong to families of all communities of low income and below poverty line groups. Many students are first generation aspirants for college education and professional education.

THE BEGINNINGS

The school was founded with 5 children in 1986 by Mrs. Annam Baby John, popularly known as Baby Teacher. She was a Primary School Teacher of the Chinmaya School at the time of her marriage. As her husband and her mother-in-law were confined to bed for nearly 13 years she took leave from the school for a long time and finally had to resign from the job. She nursed her husband and her mother-in-law with great love, willingly and cheerfully enduring all hardships. She has no children and she found herself shattered after the death of her husband and mother-in-law. Compassion and Love that have always fill in her heart make her take the decision to use her landed sin all property for establishing an English medium school for the underprivileged children in her area. Initially she rented a small room across the main road. Afterwards she added more classes. At last she shifted the school to her own compound. Today the school is functioning from her compound in temporary sheds. The school is facing acute financial problems and lack of facilities because it is charging minimal fee. The fees collected are just enough to meet the low salary of the teachers and the other staff. The school has a very high standard of teaching and discipline. Though the salary is low the teachers are very dedicated and work as a very united team. The children are very talented.

HELP FROM PEOPLE OF GOODWILL

The year 2005 witnessed promising events for the school. E.X. Joseph, Senior Advocate, Secretary of the Krishna Menon Memorial Society and President of the V.K. Krishna Menon Educational Initiative, who is a poet, author and social activist participated in the Annual Day of the School in Jan. 2005, and felt that the School should be developed into a model centre for creative, value based and science oriented educational institution. The V.K. Krishna Menon Educational Initiative established in the school premises in March 2005 a Public Library and a Computer Education Centre in the name of V.K. Krishna Menon. A Librarian and a Computer Teacher were also appointed.

Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, the living legend whose contributions to law inaugurated the Public Library and Computer Education Centre in March 2005. In 2006 the school students welcomed the Hon'ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha who delivered the Krishna Menon Memorial Lecture .The Speaker was deeply impressed by the performance of children of Little Flower School despite the fact that they have a rural background. The Speaker and the audience were deeply moved by the songs sung by the girls of the school.

For igniting the minds of the children and enabling them to develop their creative talents, a number of clubs like Einstein Science Club, Abdul Kalam Knowledge Club, Grow Talent Club, Nature Club, Krishna Menon Debating Club, Tagore Literary Club, have been started. The children have elected their representatives and constituted a Students Parliament. The President of the Tripunithura Rotary Club planted saplings in the school compound on the Independence Day after hoisting the National Flag. A number of eminent personalities like K.L. Mohana Varma, famous novelist, Dr. E.H. Valsan, Emeritus Professor, American University in Cairo, Prof. T.K. Mathai, Capt. Gopalakrishnan, the hero of the Bombay High Gas Tragedy, Mrs. Nitya Gopalakrishnan, Former Principal, Bhavan's School, R.K. Kurup, writer, Dr. K.B. Sujatha, Principal Cochin Refinery School, K.P. Joseph, writer and former UN Consultant, Mrs. Leela Joseph, President, Panampilly Nagar Ladies Club, Mrs. Kalpana Joseph, former Lecture English and Educational Consultant, P.N. Narayanan, Past President Rotary Club Tripunithura, Mrs. Lakshmi Narayanan, Educationist, Suresh Kumar, Vice President, Tripunithura Rotary Club, Mrs. Geeta Suresh Kumar, Educationist and others have visited the School and talked to the children. Kaviyoor Ponnamma, the famous cine artist and Padma Bhushan Dr. M.V. Pylee were given a reception in the School. Both of them were deeply impressed by the great work being done in the school. The District Governor of Rotary Club 3002 which has over thirty-five rotary clubs under it visited the school recently and declared that it was the best school among the 35 or so schools he has visited.

The Rotary Club of Tripunithura gave its annual award for 2005 for the most outstanding teacher of the year to Baby Teacher. The Rotaracts of Tripunithura had earlier given its award to Baby Teacher.

2006 -The year of faster growth

The students of the school have been doing remarkably well in all the competitions, which they participate in. Of the 230 students, nearly 220 students got prizes and scholarships in the annual day function. The school has a lively band.

A significant initiative taken is that every week, on Friday, in the morning assembly, a prize is given to the best student of every class. The students who get the prizes are applauded by all the students. This has worked as a major incentive for better behavior and devoted studies. Generally . E.X. Joseph, President of the V.K. Krishna Menon Educational Initiative, and chairman of the school addresses the students in the Friday assembly and distributes the prizes.

Capt. Gopalakrishnan, the hero of the Bombay High Gas Tragedy, addressed the students and described the heroism of all those involved in the tragedy. He instituted an annual prize for courage and confidence and compassion.

2005 was a year of new beginnings and great initiatives. 2006 is proposed to be a year of faster pace of development.

The commitment of all those involved in the school is to ensure that every student develops his or her full potentialities and innate talent. The school also wants to impart education which is creative, value based and science oriented. The goal is to ensure that the children who pass out from the school are a real asset to the society, to their families and to themselves.

Padma Bhushan Dr. M.V Pylee, former Vice Chancellor, Cochin University declared that the school must have classes upto 10th standard.

FORMATION OF ADVISORY BODY

The members of the Advisory Board of the school are E.X. Joseph, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India President V.K. Krishna Menon Educational Initiative (Chairman), Suresh Kumar, President, Tripunithura Rotary Club, P.N. Narayanan, Chartered Accountant, Immediate Past President, Tripunithura Rotary Club, K.P. Joseph, Writer, Former Director of Finance, Cochin shipyard, former Consultant, FAO UN, M.V. John, Retired Asst. Director of Education, Writer and historian, M.V. Mathew, President Y's Men Club, Tripunithura and President Lovedale Club, Udayamperoor, Mrs Kalpana Joseph M.A., M.Ed. Educationist, D. Dhanuraj, Ph D. Scholar and Chairman Centre for Public Policy Research, Mrs Leela Joseph, social activist, V.F. Andrews, M.M. Thomas, and many other scholars and social activists.

 
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