Narayanan is a school teacher and role-model for his community

Narayanan, 26, is a well-known and well-respected young man in his small hamlet in the hills of Bathery, a small town in the South Indian state of Kerala. From the tribal community of Naika, Narayanan has achieved a remarkable feat – he is a school teacher.

Born to a family of eight children, Narayanan had a childhood that was not much different from that of the other children. Most went to work with their parents in the fields for a daily wage, or worked in the forest collecting honey and yams.

Narayanan’s father too worked as a daily wage labourer. His mother, Ammini, can hardly remember her age. Like most people in her tribe, she has never been to school.

It seemed that, like his brothers and sisters, Narayanan too would drop out of school after primary education. But his determination and a sponsor’s support changed the course of his life.

Narayanan was sponsored at the age of 14. He was a student of Standard VII in a school ten kilometres away from his small village. Through sponsorship support, he received books, a bag and a school uniform every year. But the most important thing he received came in the form of motivation he received from the staff of World Vision.

“The staff from World Vision counselled me and identified my interest in teaching others. I was a volunteer during the LifeSchool for Transformation Development programme. I was very happy to teach other children,” Narayanan says.

His interest led him to pursue a career in teaching at the local school.

Even after his father’s death in 2003, Narayanan continued his college studies through assistance from a kind-hearted man in his town. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from St. Mary’s College in Bathery.

Narayanan is now a high school teacher at the RajivGandhiMemorialResidentialHigh School at Kalloor Nool Puzha, about five kilometres from his home.

“Narayanan is a good teacher. He is able to relate to the tribal children in their own language and teach them better,” says Ms. Girija, the headmistress of the school where Narayanan works.

An avid reader, Narayanan is also continuing his education for a Post-Graduate Degree in English.  “I want to clear the Indian Administrative Services exam and become an officer in the IAS,“ he says with pride, as he displays his collection of books arranged closely in his small hut.

For someone from a village where most of the children drop out after primary school, Narayanan is indeed dreaming big, but he is also a strong advocate for the welfare of his tribal community. He encourages children in his community to continue their studies.

In Narayanan, they see a role model from their own community and as a result there have been changes in the attitudes of parents towards educating their children. Motivated by Narayanan, two other children in his village have also completed their college degree in arts and commerce.