THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sudha teacher is no more an unfamiliar personality in her locale. We can see her working not in any educational institution but among the workers of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Kanjiramkulam panchayat. Being a PhD and MPhil holder in Hindi, Sudha teacher is surplus in her qualifications to work under MGNREGA scheme. The highly qualified woman ploughs hard to satisfy the hunger of her family.

Although she holds all required qualifications to be a teacher, including B.Ed, she failed to find a permanent job. The 41-year-old lady has found a place in many PSC rank lists. Now her age acts to be a barrier to appear for coming PSC exams. Dr Sudha hoped that she might get into a permanent job if thirteen candidates are selected from the high school assistant rank list of Kozhikode, which is due to expire next month.

Dr Sudha, the youngest daughter of a weaver, was married to D Santhosh Kumar, a daily wage labourer, while pursuing her B.Ed. Her husband vowed that he will be with her to fulfill her academic dreams and happily she trod the path to her academic success.

When N Gopi’s and Thankamani’s elder children were compelled to stop education, the younger one, Sudha, took a successful flight in education. She did her graduation in a parallel college and took home tuitions to find money to complete her degree. Sudha was literally starving on those days. Breakfast was provided by one of her tuition students and dinner from another, her afternoons are mostly satisfied with a glass of hot water.

A new road to academic dreams was taken when she joined Kariyavattom campus for her post-graduation. There she was not alone rather she was constantly boosted by a kind hearted teacher, R Jayashree. The teacher advised her to take up a career as college lecturer, the text books and other study materials were also provided by her. Sudha passed her M.A with flying colours, though her second delivery was prior to her exams, she secured 67% for her post-graduation. After that she joined M S University Thirunelveli to pursue her MPhil. Sudha did her PhD from Kerala Hindi Prachara Sabha under the supervision and guidance of Dr P J Sivakumar. She got her doctoral degree last year.

Though her professional hopes are withered away, she still stays to be a strong and compassionate woman. From the meagre amount she got from Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Sudha bought a television for a student of Kottukal School who lacked the basic requirements to attend online class. Dr Sudha always extended a helping hand to the needy.