Heartwarming! Chennai Govt School Teacher Feeds 120 Poor Students Every Day!

Despite the several shortcomings of the public school system, there are many inspiring stories about teachers who have gone above and beyond their call of duty to help their students.

The story of Madan Yadav, a teacher who transformed the face of a government school in a remote village in Bihar is one such example.

Mr Yadav has left no stone unturned in his efforts to better resources and facilities for his school. While most people in the village haven’t even stepped out of the village their entire lives, he runs a school where students recite English poems, excel academically, and are dressed well.

And one cannot forget the story of G Bhagawan, a government school teacher in Tamil Nadu, whose transfer caused his students to cry and plead with him to stay. The students won, and the teacher’s transfer was put on hold. Read the story here.

Kodungaiyur is a neighbourhood tucked away in the northernmost part of Chennai. The Chennai High School is one of the many schools that dot this area, but what makes it different is a unique initiative by one of its teachers, which is making a difference to the lives of 120 children.

As reported in the Times of India, Mr PK Ilamaran, has been providing a healthy breakfast to around 120-odd children in the Chennai school, from his own pocket. He started this initiative in July 2018.

For about two decades, Ilamaran observed that many of the children who came to school without eating breakfast would suffer from sunstrokes and or stomach aches. He finally decided that the problem could not be ignored any more and resolved to do something about it.

Speaking to ToI, Ilamaran said, “I am happy to spend some time with the students in the morning while serving them food. We buy idli and pongal from the nearby Amma Unavagam.”

Ilamaran, who teaches students of Classes 7 and 9, first made a list consisting of the names of students from Classes 1 to 10. He ensured that the names of all the children who were skipping meals were on this list.

Today, these kids get a good breakfast to start off their day. From 7:30 am to 8:00 am, students of Class X are fed, and from 8:20 am to 8:50 am, students from Classes 1 to 9 are fed.

You may also like:- India’s 10 Most Unconventional Teachers You Would Love to Learn From

This initiative is one of the many which have been taken up by the Chennai government school. In fact, ToI has reported that from September 2018 onwards, the school will provide free tuition for students of Class 10.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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