Bihari migrant woman tops Malayalam literacy exam in Kerala

A 26-year-old Bihari migrant woman has topped the Malayalam literacy examination conducted in Kerala, scoring 100 out of 100 marks.

Romiya Kathur, who hails from a nondescript village in Bihar, emerged as the topper the in exam organised by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority recently. The woman scored full marks and showed that language isn't a barrier is a person has the will to succeed.

She came to Kerala along with her husband Saifullah looking for a job in 2014 and settled down in Umayanalloor in southern Kollam district.

The mother of three, who runs a juice parlour here, had written the exam at a local higher secondary school carrying her four-month-old baby daughter, Thamanna last month.

A total of 1,998 migrant labourers had appeared for the literacy exam in the second phase of the scheme "Changathi" across the state on January 19.

Changathi (Friend) project is aimed at teaching migrant labourers, living in the state, Malayalam within four months.
It had begun in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district, the hub of migrant labourers in the state on August 15, 2017, Literacy Mission officials said.

Over 3,700 migrants, who flocked to the southern state in search of better wages and living conditions, had cleared the exam under the initiative so far in two phases, they said.

Mission director P S Sreekala visited Kathur at her home here recently and congratulated her for the rare achievement.
The migrant woman said she wanted to clear the higher secondary equivalency exam conducted by the Mission, for which the directed extended complete support.

She also said "Hamari Malayalam", the textbook prepared for students of the Changathi scheme, was very helpful in daily life.

"It has helped me a lot in communicating in Malayalam, life especially in railway station and market," she said, adding she also wanted to teach her children Malayalam.

(With PTI inputs)