The children of Pookkottur Old LP School cheering during their flight trip.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The students of Government Lower Primary School, Pookkottur, popularly known as Pookkottur Old LP School, have been on cloud nine since Thursday. They took their maiden flight and flew to Bengaluru, all thanks to the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA).
The PTA arranged a free flight journey for 40 students as part of exposing the children to modern facilities. The PTA introduced a unique scheme called Azadi Scholarship to help the children qualify for the trip.
A screening test was conducted using the optical mark recognition (OMR) system. Those who qualified had to undergo a final interview. PTA officials said the screening test was held not only to vet and select the students, but also to introduce them early to the competitive examination system.
Although the flight was planned a couple of years ago, those selected could not make it then because of COVID-19 restrictions. Twenty students selected earlier joined the freshly selected 20 and boarded the flight to Bengaluru from the Calicut International Airport on Thursday. After sightseeing, shopping, and a day’s stay in Bengaluru, the children returned home on Saturday. They said they had experienced the happiest moments of their life.
IAS officer in Nagaland and the school’s goodwill ambassador Mohammedali Shihab, Saudi Arabia alumni chapter chairman Mujeeb Pookkottur, Qatar alumni chapter chairman Salam Perapurath, headmistress V.N. Ambika, and PTA president V.P. Saleem accompanied the children.
The PTA also took 66 students who bagged the second position in the Azadi Scholarship exam on a train journey.
Established in 1918, the school has played a significant role in offering primary education to the people of Pookkottur and neighbouring areas. With the support of the PTA and the alumni, the school underwent a facelift by setting up a children’s park, an air-conditioned conference hall, a library, a dining hall, and an indoor turf court.
