Thiruvananthapuram: Use Valiathura school wisely

Thiruvananthapuram: As the campers at Valiathura Regional Fisheries Technical High School have got a new home at Muttathara complex, the school has more space to make classes possible.

However, a lot more needs to be done to improve the quality of education here, say the school's well-wishers. "Ten years ago, the school at Valiathura boasted of 100 percent pass. But later the quality deteriorated. People camping at the school is but one of the many factors which led to this. In 2016, we studied the SSLC results of various fisheries schools in Kerala. In all, 130 students faced the exam. There was not even one student with all A+. In fact, there was not even one student with 9A+ or 8A+," says Robert Panipillai, who founded Friends of Marine Life.

There are about 135 staff members working at these schools. The student-to-staff ratio is almost 1:1, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 6:1. The ratio points to a drop in the number of students here. The government in 2017 said that half the seats at these schools can be for children in non-fishing community. Instead, the govt should try to improve the quality of iits fisheries schools.