From Screen To Classroom: How A Malayalam Film Inspired A Kerala School's Creative Seating

A government school in Kerala has made national news for transforming the classroom experience, quite literally. Breaking away from the conventional idea of "backbenchers," Ramavilasom Vocational Higher Secondary School (RVHSS) of Valakom, Kollam, has designed a creative seating system in which all students are placed at the front row, PTI says.

Chairs are then placed on all sides of the class, giving every child an equal view and access to the instructor. The idea was borrowed from a scene in the new Malayalam film Sthanarthi Sreekuttan, where a Class 7 student proposes the setup after being ridiculed for sitting at the back.

"It was out of his experience of being demeaned from a backbench that he formulated such a concept. I never expected it to reach such heights. It is not a concept evolved by us, but we did have such a seating arrangement in the past in classrooms under the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), and we had lost it somewhere in between," opined Vinesh Viswanathan, director of the film.

"I have got a message that a school in Punjab has also adopted it after the principal saw the movie on the OTT platform. He even showed the movie to the students. I am happy that it gained national exposure," he added.

The model was first promoted by Kerala Minister K. B. Ganesh Kumar, whose family runs RMVHSS. A year before its release, the Minister had caught a glimpse of the movie and initiated discussions with the faculty of the school and introduced the new model in one of the lower primary classes. The result was so encouraging that the system has been introduced in all the school's lower primary sections.

Sunil P. Sekhar, the headmaster, told IANS that it aids them in giving equal attention to every child and remove the impression that backbenchers are neglected or diverted.

"I can take care of every one of the students in class and provide better care to every one of them. The students are also content as they get to see the faces of all the students in the class and keep a close watch on the teacher," said experienced teacher Meera, who has close to 30 years of experience.

The concept is now catching up at least eight more schools in Kerala and is also being monitored by teachers elsewhere in India. While social media critics continue to question its feasibility in classrooms that have too many students, Viswanathan holds that such a scenario goes against school rules and the authorities are taking note.

In a surprising turn of events, even Anand Mahindra welcomed the idea on Twitter, calling it a good move, although he did admit to having a fondness for the "backbencher" label.

While RVHSS is basking in the glory of former pupil G. P. Nandana's remarkable feat of securing rank 2 in Kerala and 47 at the national level in the Civil Services Exam, it is also earning brownie points for the innovative and bold move in education.