Kerala teacher reassigned as sweeper after 23 years of service
K.R. Usha Kumari worked at a remote tribal school for over two decades before the government closed the centre.
K.R. Usha Kumari, a teacher who spent 23 years educating tribal children in Thiruvananthapuram, was reassigned as a sweeper at a government school in June 2022, according to a Times of India report.
Kumari taught at the Agasthya Multi Grade Learning Centre in Kunnathumala from 2002 until the government shut down the network of single-teacher schools in Kerala in 2022.
Her daily commute from Amboori involved riding a two-wheeler, crossing a river in a wooden boat, and trekking eight kilometres through a forest to reach the school.
As the sole teacher at the centre, she taught subjects including Mathematics, English, and Environmental Studies, while also managing administrative tasks and student meals.
The educator had received more than a dozen state and national awards for her work, though she faced financial uncertainty due to her contractual status.
Following the closure of 271 centres, Kumari joined PSNM Government Higher Secondary School in Peroorkada as part of a rehabilitation plan that provided former teachers with cleaning roles.