Bungalow from PENSHURST ESTATE IN PEERUMADE. | Photo Credit: Jomon Pampavallley
As a Penshurst Estate in Peerumade, the first commercial tea plantation idukki, celebrates its 150th anniversary, the story of the first school in the region also focuses. The bungalow of assets is reportedly placed in the first school.
According to Heather Lovat, the short history of the Peerumade/Vandiperiyar district, which casts light on the first days of education in the Tea Plantation industry, the first school in the Peerumade area was founded by the wife of FM Parker, a planorary who founded the first commercial tea property in this area. However, there are no official records of the school or the name of the woman who started school.
From the book
“Education was generally neglected. Around 1906, 87% of the travancore population was illiterate. Nevertheless, Mrs. Parker ran a school at PENSHURST ESTATE for children’s children. Imrays (Bon Ami Estate) contributed to the teacher’s salary, and Ararnal, Aarnal, Aarnal, Ararnal, Arirankal. In 1919, TTE (Travancore Tea Estates) began to open schools on societies – and even more than that of the operator buildings to follow the children, while their mothers were much more invested in their gardens, ”says the book.
The first recorded cultivation of tea took place at the Penshurst estate in 1875, when FM Parker began planting 25 acres along the route Elappa-Wagamon. Today, the property is managed by the Plantations of Malanka.
Informal school
Josiba Joseph, manager of Penshurst Estate, believes that bungalow was once a residence of manager and the first informal school in the region. “It is likely that Mrs. Parker started the school soon after the plantation opened. She was a visionary and reworked the bungalow to provide basic education for children. It shows that she understood the value of education even then,” Joseph says.
He adds that the bungalow of the British era, which is still preserved under the leadership of JK Thomas, CEO of Malanka Plantage, stands by the testimony of this era. “The walls, built of thick stone, keep the rooms naturally cold in the summer and warm during the monsoon,” says Mr. Joseph.
Samskaram, who added to the story, writer Manoj Mathirappy in his book IDUKKI: Desham, Charithram, document the earliest systematic settlement in Upputhary near Peerumade. “The first formal school in this area was founded in UpPuthara in 1927 and later was named Memorial School Onamculam,” he wrote.
Published – April 20, 2025 20:53
