Warangal: Principal gives caps, kids return to school

WARANGAL: Mr Kodipaka Ramesh, headmaster of a government primary school in the remote Narasimhulagudem in Kesamudram mandal of Mahabubabad district, went beyond the call of duty when children did not turn up at school.

Due to the cold weather since the past week, the students of Narasimhulagudem were not coming to classes. Their parents were keeping the children home fearing they would catch cold and fever. The families are very poor and cannot afford to bear medical expenses, and thought it better to not send the children to school.

The school has 25 students. When the kids stayed away, Mr Ramesh went to each of their houses and spoke to their parents. He persuaded them to send their children to school, promising he would buy them monkey caps to protect them from the cold. When they turned up, he kept his word.

“It is with great difficulty that we convinced the parents to admit their children to the school by explaining the importance of education. If they stop sending the children due to the cold, they will get used to it and will not show interest in studies,” Mr Ramesh said, explaining why he went to such lengths to get the kids back to school.

“To avoid this I decided to give them monkey caps, which assures the parents that their children have some protection against the cold. This will encourage them to send the students to school,” Mr Ramesh said.

The villagers were appreciative of Mr Ramesh’s gesture, saying it reflected his concern for the students.