Kochi : September 5, 2020. On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remembered the contributions of teachers in his life, singling out one in school who gave a valuable piece of advice to his mother due to which his education continued uninterrupted.
“My teacher Govindan asked my mother to continue sending me to school. My mother’s love was in keeping with that suggestion. I was able to continue my education. But I still was unsure how long I could continue my student life. That’s when, my teacher in UP (upper-primary) school, Sankaran Munshi, called my mother and told her, ‘until he fails, your son must continue to study.’ That’s how my student life continued,” the chief minister wrote on Facebook.
He said he went to school at a time when education wasn’t a priority as it is now in Kerala. In those days, it was natural for children to drop out of school after the fifth grade and turn to manual labour to earn money for the family.
“When I look back, I see the reflections of my teachers in the path of life. If I didn’t have their dedication and support, I would have had to suspend my studies in lower-primary school itself,” wrote Vijayan, who worked as a handloom weaver for a year after school and subsequently got enrolled at the Brennel College in Thalassery for pre-university studies and a BA degree course in Economics.
It was through student union activities at the Brennen College, a Communist citadel in Kannur district, that Vijayan joined politics.
Lauding the role of teachers in the transformation of Kerala as a literate state, he wrote, “The dedication and hardwork of the teaching community is the foundation of our pride of complete literate Kerala. They had an important role to play in leading us to this modern Kerala. Even during this pandemic, to ensure that education of our children are not interrupted, the teachers are doing a praise-worthy job.”
“This teachers day, let us thank the teaching community. I wish that our teachers with greater inspiration and vigour are work for our state,” he said.
