A lifetime of teaching tribal children without any job security

For nearly three decades, 55-year-old Vijayalakshmi has been the sole educator at a Multi-Grade Learning Centre (MGLC) in Edamalakkudy, the first tribal panchayat in Kerala. Operating under the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), the centre provides a crucial lifeline of primary education to children in the remote Edaliparakkudy settlement.

The MGLC caters to students from Classes I to IV. Despite 29 years of uninterrupted service, Ms. Vijayalakshmi’s employment remains uncertain and poorly compensated. “I joined the school in 1997. For all these years, I have been the only teacher here, yet my current salary is just ₹7,000 a month,” she said.

“There are no service benefits. Every March, my contract is terminated by the ITDP, only to be renewed again in June.”

Ms. Vijayalakshmi has submitted several memorandums to the government seeking formal recognition of her long-standing service, but her appeals have so far gone unanswered.

At present, 21 children are enrolled at the centre. “If I leave this job, the education of these tribal children will come to a halt,” she said. “The salary is not enough to meet basic living expenses. I survive largely on the food supplied by the ITDP for the children and live in a small hut near the school.”

A resident of Kathippara, near Adimaly, Ms. Vijayalakshmi is able to visit her husband and children only occasionally, as the journey itself is prohibitively expensive. “It costs almost an entire month’s salary to hire a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) to travel from Munnar to Edamalakkudy,” she explained.

The local tribal community has rallied in support of Ms. Vijayalakshmi, demanding permanent employment status and a fair wage. Recently, M. Palraj, president of the Muthuvan Adivasi Samudhaya Sangam, submitted a formal complaint to the Director of General Education. The department responded that since the school functions under the ITDP, it does not maintain records of her service.

“She has been providing invaluable support to the tribal community and its children. We demand that the government acknowledge her dedicated service,” said a member of the tribal community.

Renowned author Subash Chandran, who has written extensively about Edamalakkudy, has also taken up the matter with the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). In response, the Tribal Development Officer stated that a detailed proposal has been submitted to the Director of the Tribal Department to consider her case.

“For the past three months, the proposal has been stalled by bureaucratic delays, with no further action taken,” Mr. Chandran said. “This lone teacher has educated hundreds of children in this panchayat. Without Ms. Vijayalakshmi’s service, these students would be left without even a basic primary education.”