Scheduled Castes in Tirunelveli Empowered Through Self-Established Schools

This article highlights the historical initiative of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, to establish educational institutions as a means of social empowerment and self-reliance. Contrary to the common belief that Dalit education was primarily driven by British authorities or Christian missionaries, SC community leaders founded numerous schools independently. A notable example is the Soosaiappar Primary School in Cheranmahadevi, established in 1874 by a Catholic elder without missionary aid, which served students from various castes during a period of intense caste discrimination. Currently, 28 of these originally community-founded institutions operate as government-aided primary schools in Tirunelveli, down from over 50 half a century ago. J. Balasubramaniam, an assistant professor at Madurai Kamaraj University, emphasizes that these schools testify to the community's active role in promoting education and social upliftment despite limited resources. The movement extended beyond Tirunelveli to other parts of Tamil Nadu, challenging prevailing narratives about passive recipienthood and demonstrating significant agency in the fight against caste-based exclusion through educational infrastructure.