‘Our school needs a building,’ children tell Minister ‘uncle’

Malappuram: “Our school is over 100 years old. We need a proper building,” said R S Sreedev, K M Aarthi Krishna, and K Parvathi, Class 4 students of Kottakkal GLP School, as they met Education Minister V Sivankutty.
Amused by their confident appeal, the minister smiled and asked, “Did your teachers teach you to say that”, sparking laughter among those present.

The students had accompanied their teachers and PTA representatives to the Press Club on Tuesday, where the minister was attending a ‘Meet the Press’ event. The group took the opportunity to highlight the poor infrastructure of the school, which was established in 1915.

After listening to the delegation, the minister assured them that the request would be considered. He warmly interacted with the children, inquiring about their midday meals. “Do you get eggs and chutney?” he asked. The children nodded. “We even get salad,” they added.

When asked if similar meals were served the previous year, they again nodded. Former PTA president Ravi Madathil informed the minister that the school had produced several notable alumni.

“Did the need for a building come up only now, after all these years?” the minister asked seriously. School Headmistress A Sudha and others clarified that they had submitted multiple requests in the past, but no action was taken.

The minister advised the group to visit Thiruvananthapuram for further follow-up. PTA president P Praveen, SMC chairman Prabeesh, Sunil Warrier, and teacher K Yasser Arafath also accompanied the students. Later, the minister shared a video of the interaction on social media, captioning it: “How confidently these little ones voiced their demands!”