The Hindu Business Line : Tributes paid to Kuruvila Jacob

Mr P. Chidambaram, Union Finance Minister, at the birth centenary celebrations of Kuruvila Jacob, educationist, in Chennai on Tuesday. Others in the picture are (from left) Mr S. Viji, Joint Managing Director, Brakes India, Mr N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu Group of Publications; Mr K.M. Mammen, Chairman and Managing Director, MRF, Mr M.K. Narayanan, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr K. Venkatasubramanian, former Planning Commission Member, and Dr K. Kasturirangan, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai , Aug 3

FIVE former students, each in a distinguished position in his chosen field, led a gathering in paying tributes to their late headmaster Kuruvila Jacob on the occasion of his birth centenary celebrations.

They were joined on the dais by two other persons of eminence, Dr K. Kasturirangan, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, and Dr K. Venkatasubramanian, former Union Planning Commission Member, at the centenary celebrations of Kuruvila Jacob, educationist and headmaster of the Madras Christian College High School between 1931 and 1962.

Mr P. Chidambaram, Union Finance Minister, one of the former students, led those paying tributes to the educationist.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Kasturirangan said India would soon launch an education satellite that would help to address problems like gap in infrastructure and quality of teaching in schools.

Mr Chidambaram said that the Centre would bring in a legislation making school education compulsory and free. Now over a million students were dropping out of school with just five years of studying. This meant that over a decade they regress to being virtually illiterate. It is imperative that by the end of this decade every child receives at least eight years of school education.

`The Kuruvila Jacob Initiative for promoting Excellence in School Education' was launched at the function. Announcing the programme, Mr S. Viji, Joint Managing Director, Brakes India, and convenor of the Kuruvila Jacob Birth Centenary Celebrations Committee, said the programme seeks to enhance operational performance of schools, facilitate best practices and processes among institutions that become members in the programme and provide quality training programmes to the faculty.

Mr M.K. Narayanan, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, recalled the qualities in Kuruvila Jacob that had made him a legend. A person `who taught us to have faith,' he said.

Mr N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu Group of publications, welcomed the gathering. He described the period between 1931 and 1962, when Kuruvila Jacob headed the school, as a golden age.

Mr K.M. Mammen, Chairman and Managing Director, MRF, delivered the vote of thanks.

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