Thiruvananthapuram: A government school in Thiruvananthapuram celebrated the month of the renaissance in memory of Malayali social reformers. The programme at the Government Tribal High School, Meenankal, was aimed at promoting the ideas behind the social reforms the state witnessed. Many renaissance leaders like Sahodaran Ayyappan, Sree Narayana Guru and Ayyankali, were born in the Malayalam month of Chingam which fell in August-September this year. Students were introduced to their life and contributions through various programmes during the week, said Mr Udayan, a teacher.
One of the programmes was on the conservation of local varieties of mango. It ended with the school parliament elections. Students were also given various projects related to the social reformers, said Mr Udayan. One of the peculiarities of the school parliament election was that old ballot paper system of general elections was adopted this year. The students who cast their votes were painted with a black mark on their fingers just like the general elections, said Mr Manoj, another teacher.
The stamp containing the photo of a social reformer was given as the symbol for each candidate. Students from LP and UP sections were polling officers while one teacher each became presiding officers to assist them. Teachers Zeena, Jayasri, Suja, Jyothi, Aji Jasmin, Anjuthara, Stephen, Rajeev, Baiju Mon and Preetha Mol acted as returning officers, he said. Vishnu was elected as school pleader and Sajitha S. Nair chairperson. SPC and NCC cadets were appointed for controlling the election process. “Last year, we opted for the electronic voting machines and this year, we went for the ballot papers," said Mr Manoj.
