Trichy: The newly appointed headmistress helped revive a panchayat union primary school (PUPS), which was on the verge of closure, by admitting 12 students on a single day in Pudukkottai.PUPS Valaikolai in Alangudi taluk, with no students, was functioning with a HM and an assistant.Jothi, who was the HM till a couple of days ago, was among the 12 teachers and HM’s who were given a punishment transfer by chief educational officer of Pudukkottai.Apart from having a strained relationship with the local villagers that prompted many of the parents to admit their children to schools in the nearby villages, she failed to enroll even a single child in the school over the past few months.S Arockiamary, who was promoted to Valaikolai PUPS, took charge on Tuesday. Resolving to revive the school, she pulled up her socks on day one itself and called for parents meeting and village heads to convince them to send their children to the school. Besides, she also undertook a door-to-door visit in the village and held talks with the parents.Hearing their grievances, she assured that the school would take care of their children’s studies. Her efforts bore fruit as 12 parents came along with their children on Wednesday morning for admission.S Savarimuthu, 42, a village head who admitted her child to class III in Valaikolai PUPS, said that he was so far sending her child to a matriculation school in Valaikolai.“None of us want to send our kids outside the village,” said Savarimuthu adding that there are close to 30 parents in the village who send their children to schools in nearby villages.“The previously appointed HM was in the school for four years but she didn’t take any efforts to increase the number of admissions. But the new HM gave us commitment and we believe her,” he said.“I could get children for all the classes till class V, who were going to nearby matriculation schools,” said HM Arockiamary, adding that it would not have been possible without support from the local villagers.Aiming to increase the numbers to 50 in the next few weeks, she said noon meal scheme will be opened after considerable number of students is enrolled. “We can set the school on the development path,” she said.

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