Correspondent
Dr. Jacob Thomas (M.A., B.Ed., M.Phil., PGDCA)
About nine decades ago, a doctor couple, Dr Jacob Cherian and his wife Dr Mary Cherian, after successfully completing their Post-graduate studies in surgery and medicine abroad, decided to come back to Oddanchatram, a very rural, backward, rain-shadow place in Madurai District, where agriculture was the main occupation of the people.
Soon the Doctors got deeply involved in the village life of the rural people and realized that along with modern medical facilities, empowering and educating the community would bring long lasting improvements to their lives. They wanted to provide good and progressive education to the rural children through the medium of the English language, at an affordable cost, which would provide good exposure to the younger generation, freeing them from the shackles of superstition, and making them aware of modern thoughts and practices.
So in 1969, a humble beginning was made in their own dwelling place with about a dozen children of the hospital staff, in the nursery level, the doctors youngest son Prasad, being the senior most in the group. More and more dedicated and committed staff members joined the team, and additional facilities were added to the school. In 1976 the school was affiliated to the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi, and in 1984 it was converted to the matriculation pattern, and later upgraded to a higher secondary school.
Apart from imparting mathematical and literary skills, schools of the present day have to focus on ensuring that students have a deep understanding of the topics they study, while developing higher order and critical thinking abilities, in a fast changing world. The schools and colleges of today have to train the students to find solutions to problems which are non-existent or less important now. Students should be taught moral and ethical values even at a young age so that values of mutual cooperation and tolerance will be learnt, to live in a community having different values systems and beliefs, importance should be given to physical exercises to live a healthy life in a stress free environment.
Our School aims at providing balanced education in a stress-free environment during their childhood days, at the same time providing the vision of a fast changing technically fast evolving world where they will become global citizens.