Kerala teacher who boated and trekked 23 years to teach tribal kids

K.R. Usha Kumari’s commute was a demanding part of her teaching mission. It connected her home in Amboori with Agasthya Multi Grade Learning Centre in Kunnathumala, inside the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve. The journey mattered because the school served children in a remote tribal settlement that ordinary transport could not easily reach.

She left around 7:30 am and rode her two-wheeler to Kumbikkal Kadavu. She then crossed the river in a wooden country boat before walking about eight kilometres uphill through dense forest. The final route had steep, rocky paths. She sometimes used a stick and navigated areas where wild animals could be present. When no passengers could help, she rowed the boat herself.

The return trip was just as difficult. She made this journey for years, despite hard terrain and unpredictable weather. Her commute showed the physical demands behind teaching in inaccessible classrooms, while also highlighting how remote children depended on determined educators.

A multi-grade learning centre is a small school where one teacher teaches children from several grade levels. It is designed for places where a full school network is difficult to maintain. This matters because children in remote settlements can receive primary education without travelling to distant towns or larger schools.

At Agasthya, Usha Kumari was responsible for Classes 1 to 4. She taught every subject and also managed administration and extracurricular activities. The centre was created for children living in remote tribal settlements. The article does not describe every feature of a regular school, but it contrasts this centre with the larger educational facilities the government said students would receive after closure.

The arrangement made schooling possible in a difficult location, but it placed many duties on one educator. In March 2022, Kerala closed 271 such centres, saying students would be provided better educational facilities. The change moved children away from the small local model and displaced 344 teachers.

Usha Kumari’s work stretched across more than two decades. She began teaching at a Multi Grade Learning Centre in 1999, joined Agasthya at Kunnathumala in 2002, and remained there for 23 years according to the article. Her daily route included an eight-kilometre walk through forest after the river crossing. The article does not state the total travel time.

She started around 7:30 am, rode to Kumbikkal Kadavu, crossed the river by wooden boat, and trekked uphill. The route had steep, rocky sections and could involve wild animals. She then faced an equally demanding return journey. These details show that the work involved both long-term service and a physically strenuous daily commute.

In March 2022, Kerala shut 271 Multi Grade Learning Centres. The decision affected 344 teachers who had worked in remote and tribal areas. The government said closure would provide students with better educational facilities. A rehabilitation arrangement offered the affected teachers part-time or full-time sweeper positions in government schools.

Usha Kumari’s role went far beyond standing in front of a classroom. As the only teacher at Agasthya Multi Grade Learning Centre, she was responsible for educating children from Classes 1 to 4. This mattered because the remote centre depended on one person to provide the full range of primary schooling.

She taught Mathematics, English, the regional language, and Environmental Studies. She also managed administrative work and organised extracurricular activities. Providing meals was another duty. Teachers worked with limited budgets, and funds were sometimes not enough for milk, eggs, and other ingredients. Her work therefore combined teaching, school management, and basic student support.

The arrangement placed a heavy load on one educator, especially in a school reached through a river crossing and forest trek. Usha continued for years and received more than a dozen state and national awards. Yet her position remained contractual, and she later joined a government school as a sweeper after the centre closed.

In March 2022, the Kerala government shut down 271 Multi Grade Learning Centres. The decision affected 344 teachers who had spent years educating children in remote and tribal areas. The government said the centres were being closed so students could receive better educational facilities. For Usha, the decision ended 23 years at the Kunnathumala classroom.

The affected teachers received a rehabilitation arrangement rather than continuing in their teaching posts. They were offered part-time or full-time sweeper positions in government schools. Usha joined PSNM Government Higher Secondary School in Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram, on June 1, 2022. Her work changed from teaching children to cleaning a school.

Usha said she was not ashamed of the new job. She viewed it as financial security after years of irregular salary payments. Still, the reassignment showed the sharp gap between her experience and her new designation. She had won more than a dozen state and national awards, but was no longer working as a teacher.

The Multi Grade Learning Centres were established to provide primary education to children living in remote tribal settlements. Their location mattered because these communities were far from ordinary school facilities. A local centre gave children access to Classes 1 to 4 without requiring the school system to build a larger institution in a difficult area.

The challenges were substantial. Reaching Agasthya required a river crossing, an uphill forest trek, and an eight-kilometre walk. The route had steep, rocky paths, unpredictable weather, and wild animals. Inside the centre, one teacher handled every subject, administration, extracurricular activities, and meals. Funds could also be insufficient for milk, eggs, and other ingredients.

These conditions explain why the centres served an important purpose, even though they had limited resources. In 2022, the government closed them to provide better educational facilities. The article records the closure and teacher reassignment, but does not describe the later schooling arrangements for every affected child.

Contractual employment generally means a person works under an agreement that does not provide the status of a permanent government employee. The contract may continue for years, but service alone does not automatically create permanent appointment rights. This distinction matters because job continuity and long-term benefits can remain uncertain even after extensive experience.

Usha had taught for more than 20 years when she demanded permanent appointments and payment of pending salaries in March 2020. She told The News Minute that teachers at single-teacher schools had gone months without salaries. Her position remained contractual despite decades of travel to remote locations. The article directly records irregular pay and lack of permanent appointment, but does not separately discuss seniority or pension rules.

In general, non-permanent status can make seniority, pension eligibility, and reliable income less secure than permanent employment, depending on the governing rules. Usha’s later reassignment added another risk: the closure changed her from an award-winning teacher into a school sweeper. She accepted the job as financial security, but missed teaching.