After appearing for her final examination at the MKM Higher Secondary School at Piravom in Kerala’s Ernakulam district this Wednesday (September 20), 70-year-old Chinna K.P. will pack her bags, head straight to the Kochi airport and take a late-night flight to fly back to Florida in the United States to see her son after a year.
A U.S. green card holder, Ms. Chinna, chose to spent a year back at her home in Piravom to reconnect with the world of knowledge which she had left behind decades ago as a Class 10 dropout. By the time she returns to the U.S., Ms. Chinna will become the oldest among the 905 candidates from Ernakulam district to appear for the Kerala State Literacy Mission’s (KSLM) tenth equivalent exams which are under way.
Though initially reluctant, Ms. Chinna, stirred up by her husband and children, chose to give the classes held at a study centre near her house on Sundays a try and was soon interested. “She never missed a class thereafter and was very enthusiastic. She had the wholehearted support of her husband, Raju, who used to drop and pick her up for the classes,” says Apsara K.G, the study centre coordinator.
