Chennai: At a time when teaching is looked upon as nothing more than a profession, R Santhakumari, a resident of Tansi Nagar, Velacheri in Chennai is winning hearts by taking tuition free of cost after retiring from a teaching career spanning 20 years.
Hailing from a family of teachers and academicians, she went ahead with her passion with the support of her children and late husband.
Although the main subject she handled was Social Studies, she takes tuition for all subjects from class 6 to 12, including English and Tamil, at her house.
“I was a government school teacher, but had to give it up after I got married and settled in Velacheri. Later on, I joined a private school in Adambakkam, and that period became a turning point in my life. The school correspondent Sujatha Rao would admit students from all walks of life: children of daily wagers, single parents and those from broken families. She went the extra mile for this cause. This quality of hers stayed with me.”
Santhakumari too started doing what she could to help change the lives of these students and to ensure that they don’t drop out after class 8.
“During board exams, apart from the extra classes on weekdays, I encouraged them to come on Sundays too.” She didn’t stop there. Post retirement, she decided to help out students attending schools in the neighbourhood.
“Whatever fees the parents offered to pay I declined. I asked them to save the money for their children,” she says.
To carry on with her passion for teaching, her children and husband offered her all the support. “On Sundays whenever I have to take tuition, my family takes care of visitors and guests. My children watch over the students if I get busy with any personal work and my husband also used to pitch in to coach them,” she says.
For this Women’s Day, Santhakumari is reminding all her girl students to be confident and study hard. “A woman’s identify must never be based on who her father or mother is, they must create one for themselves. They need to have a job and earn the respect of the society, and for that, education is important. These days, if a husband’s job is in crisis, the wife can step in and ensure the stability of the family. This is why I insist on education.” She is also open to taking tuition for students for the next academic year free of cost.
She can be reached at 94451 81887