Everyday at 8 a.m., a staff from the Tirupattur Collectorate carries newspaper clippings of articles related to the district to the camp office for the Collector to read. This was his routine until last Saturday, when he had to give the newspaper clippings to a larger audience — government school students.
The students were there to interact with Collector Amar Kushwaha as part of the first ‘Breakfast with Next Generation’ initiative, which aims to encourage the career development of the students. An hour-long interactive session that will end with breakfast, the meeting will be held once a week.
“Initially, I was nervous to express myself to the Collector. But my classmates and teachers helped me make my request — a better toilet for girls in our school,” said S. Priyanka, a Class XI student from the town.
On the lawn inside the camp office, 16 students and a few teachers were seated with the Collector and his family. The students took turns to speak on topics, including their village, family and ambitions.
Students from Classes IX and XII were preferred as they will be writing their board examinations a year later and would have to decide on their career in terms of selection of subjects for higher studies.
On an average, two students, mostly from rural areas, were shortlisted from each of the six education taluks, including Jolarpet, Tirupattur, Nattrampallai and Madhanur.
“The discussion helps the students to express themselves about their career. They can also highlight the status of their school in terms of infrastructure,” said Mr. Kushwaha.
At present, the newly-formed Tirupattur district has 230 schools, including 146 high and higher secondary schools, with 2,500 teachers. Around 70% of students aged between 15 years and 17 years were vaccinated.
