THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: "How can we send our children to this school which is a sort of shelter for dogs". This is what locals used to say to Preetha when she joined as Headmistress at Valiyasala Govt LP School five years ago. There were only seven children in the school then. However, this exemplary teacher worked tirelessly and made it a good school. 73 children are studying in this school today. Preetha may remind us of the character played by Prithviraj in the Malayalam film 'Manikyakkallu'.

Preetha came to the GLPS Valiyasala after teaching in various schools for 26 years. However, the condition of the school was miserable. Rats were swarming in the building which was covered by bushes and creepers. Several street dogs were also frequent visitors to the school. There was no kitchen, no clean toilet, and not even a good-condition chair. Many parents had shifted their children to other schools. There were just seven kids left in the school.

Preetha, who was not ready to earn her salary by sitting idle, was determined to change the condition of the school. She constantly knocked on the doors of ward councillor, mayor, education minister, etc. Some of the parents provided paint and stones to build the toilet. After improving the school's physical infrastructure, Preetha went to the adjoining Karimadom colony and invited kids to enroll. 20 new children joined in one year. Now there are 48 students till Class 4 and 25 children in pre-primary.

After learning about the enthusiasm and efforts of the teacher, leading software company UST Global came up with financial assistance. Today the school has a lab, kitchen and vegetable garden. An organization called Rise Up Forum is also sponsoring the children. Smart classrooms are also being set up using the Rs 10 lakh funds allocated by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.