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

K.R. Usha Kumari travelled by boat (Instagram)

Women like K.R. Usha Kumari is not born everyday. Born in Kerala in 1968, she became a legendary teacher. Everyday, she would set out from her home in Amboori, Kerala, with a journey ahead of her that was far from an ordinary commute.

She rode her two-wheeler to a riverbank, crossed the water in a wooden boat and then walked several kilometres through dense forest, to reach a small school in a remote tribal settlement to teach the kids.Sometimes, she would even row the boat herself when there were no other passengers to help. Now that’s called dedication towards a mission she was committed to.Who was K.R Usha?

She was a teacher at Agasthya Multi Grade Learning Centre at Kunnathumala, located inside the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in Thiruvananthapuram district.

For over 20 years, she taught in the school. She was responsible for educating children from Classes 1 to 4.She took this tedious journey for years, despite many difficulties. The hard terrain, unpredictable weather and the dangers of walking through a forest.From teacher to sweeperHer story took an unexpected turn in 2022. After the government shut down the network of single-teacher schools across Kerala, the award-winning educator was reassigned as a sweeper at a government school.

Her journey, which had once attracted national attention, became a story about the struggles of teachers working in some of India's most inaccessible classrooms.A classroom that required crossing a river and climbing hills

K.R. Usha Kumari trekked through forest

Usha began working as a teacher at a Multi Grade Learning Centre in 1999. After spending two years at a single-teacher school in Kottoor, she joined the Agasthya centre at Kunnathumala in 2002.The school had been established to provide primary education to children living in remote tribal settlements. Reaching the place was a challenge in itself.According to a 2022 PTI report, Usha would start her journey around 7:30 am everyday. She travelled on her two-wheeler to Kumbikkal Kadavu, crossed the river in a wooden country boat and then trekked uphill through the forest. The journey from her home to the school involved an eight-kilometre walk.

The final stretch was particularly difficult, with steep and rocky paths. She sometimes carried a stick for support and had to navigate forest routes full of wild animals.Her return journey was equally demanding.One teacher responsible for everythingAt the Agasthya centre, she was the only teacher and handled every subject, including Mathematics, English, the regional language and Environmental Studies. In addition to teaching, she also managed administrative work and organised extracurricular activities.Providing meals was another responsibility. The teachers had to work within limited budgets, and funds were sometimes insufficient to cover milk, eggs and other ingredients.Recognition came, but financial struggles continuedOver the years, Usha Kumari received more than a dozen state and national awards for her contribution to educating tribal children. Her work also attracted media attention, particularly after reports highlighted her extraordinary daily commute.But recognition came without any financial security.In March 2020, she went on a hunger strike outside her school, demanding permanent appointments and payment of pending salaries because even after 20 years her position remained contractual.In an interview with The News Minute, she revealed that teachers at these single-teacher schools had not received their salaries for months. The uncertainty was particularly difficult because many had spent decades travelling to remote locations.She also spoke about the difficulties of providing meals to children with limited funds.From holding chalk to carrying a broom

K.R. Usha Kumari teaching in the school

In March 2022, the Kerala government decided to shut down 271 Multi Grade Learning Centres across the state which affected 344 teachers who had spent years educating children in remote and tribal areas for years. According to the government, the centres were being closed to provide students with better educational facilities.For Usha Kumari, however, the decision meant leaving behind the classroom where she had spent 23 years.As part of a rehabilitation arrangement, the affected teachers were offered positions as part-time or full-time sweepers in government schools. Usha Kumari joined PSNM Government Higher Secondary School in Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram, on June 1, 2022.In just a matter of a few months, the hands that used to hold chalks were holding brooms.

She had more than a dozen state and national awards to her name, but her designation had changed from teacher to sweeper.Not ashamed of her new jobSpeaking to PTI in June 2022, she clarified that she was not ashamed of the new job. She considered the appointment a source of financial security, particularly after years of irregular salary payments. However, she admitted that she missed her students.She also requested the government to consider her 23 years of teaching service while calculating her pension and seniority.For Usha Kumari, the journey to Kunnathumala was never just about reaching a school. It meant ensuring that children in a remote tribal settlement had access to education and meals.