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on April 18th 1991, the Kerala government announced 100 per cent literacy. Overnight, Kerala became the education mascot of India, which no other state in India could boast of. Years later, Kerala still retains its position as India's sole fully literate state. Just how did Kerala manage to achieve what no other state in India has? Here's the answer: education is not a new phenomenon in the state. It has, for centuries, been the essence of Kerala society, the central focus from which have risen new ideologies and new developments. Kerala has nurtured and nourished it since ages so that today it is the foundation on which the state rests.

The history of Kerala's education system by itself is extensive. If the Vedas contain secrets to the science of Ayurveda, then education in other forms too, should have grown simultaneously with it. In ancient times, Kerala functioned with sabha mathams, which gave Vedic knowledge to pupils. Villages had Ezhuthachans, teachers. These systems of imparting knowledge prevailed dominantly in the state, largely as a part of its culture. In fact, such was the need for knowledge that it has been noted that a school for mathematics and astronomy (founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama) also thrived in the 14th and 16th centuries in Kerala. Education flourished further, with Kerala being one of the first in India to receive Western education when missionaries sailed along with explorers to its shores, and with them learning, knowledge and systems which were foreign to the land. In Kochi, the Portuguese (16th and 17th centuries) had a library which was the largest in Asia, and conversions into new religions (especially Christianity) gave lower sections of society an opportunity, which was otherwise unavailable to them. Missionaries set up schools all through Kerala, and by 1819 the first girl's school was established. This was a turning point in the state, offering equal opportunities for women.

THE EMBRACING OF ENGLISH

By the middle of the 19th century, further developments took place in Kerala, with the Maharaja of Travancore announcing (1844) that all who received English education would be provided with jobs in the Public service. English was embraced and became a common medium of expression, with schools supported by royals dotting the state. In the state of Cochin alone 33 schools were established and by 1816 the first batch appeared for the Matriculation Examination! But it was not that Kerala had little to battle against: the caste system was rampant in the state. But despite obstacles, education flourished. In the nineties, the Government of Kerala introduced Akshara Keralam, a project to promote education in the state with free and compulsory classes, including evening adult classes to the remotest of places. Present day schools are run either by the Government or by private bodies or by individuals. And its diversity remains in the variety of its schools, each

that follows its own style and manner of working.

Behind schools are policies, philosophies and visions that have steered Kerala and its people. From those which were started more than a century ago, to newer, more modern ones with a rich, International ambience ? Kerala gives education not only to a vast spectrum of society but in flavours that suit various palettes. Traversing schools and the people behind their success, one learns that ideologies of various kinds are the propelling factors to building good schools. In Fort Kochi, for example, schools date back a hundred odd years, run by the Catholic Church. Their strength, they say, has been in instilling high-value education to children. "Providing them at affordable fees has allowed the ordinary child of lower income groups to embrace an education in English, putting them on par with the more privileged children of today," says an official. English having been the medium of education in schools like St. Mary's Anglo-Indian Girls Higher Secondary School and St. John de Britto [for boys], for example, has allowed students to attain employment in organisations of calibre. Other schools like The Delta Study, which was started in the seventies, adopted new thinking practices such as focusing on the Emotional Quotient of children rather than the Intelligence Quotient, changing the very crux of a standard system to a broad and international one. Three decades later, the Principal of the school, Saroja Muralikrishnan, explains that an awareness regarding the importance of an education and degrees has emerged. "Education as a tool to competitiveness and as a means to livelihood has been recognised. Besides, people value an English education. Life has changed, where people want a higher purchasing power and a better lifestyle. And the presence of English as a strong medium of education has been understood."

BETTER AND BETTER EDUCATION

It is felt that Kerala's continuous attempt at better education is a prime reason for its success in the state. Poorer schools are unable to offer a certain quality of education and a required commitment from teachers but the demand for education remains. Hon Director of Trivandrum International School and Secretary of Asian School of Business, G. Vijaya Raghavan, supports this idea, explaining that parents who have worked and lived outside the country believe that much of their success comes from a good education received in Kerala. "Parents recognise the benefits of the education system which exists in a traditional, education-oriented state like Kerala. So they, especially, expatriates, send their children here for a well-rounded education. This is why schools like ours have come about ? where we can provide education based on an Indian system but with an International understanding. Not just this, but educated women educate their children and the education of the girl child is a prime reason for change in Kerala."

It however does not rest here. Kerala, it appears, is moving towards a new level regarding literacy. Asha Thomas Fenn, a Corporate Consultant who has been associated with education and student work in Kerala, points out that further change will and should come from committed teachers, especially at the primary level. Vijaya Raghavan praises the excellent board of education the Government has created. But the state is now at a point where it will have to provide quality to its students through better teaching skills. "Since we are a society which is influenced by the world outside, this is inevitable. Kerala is in the throes of moving a step ahead in terms of quality and exposure. Literacy in Kerala is bound to improve further."