Educator and chairperson of Kerala Samajam Model School and Kerala Public School Trust A.P.R. Nair breathed his last in Cochin on Friday after a prolonged illness. He was 80.
Suffering for long from intestinal cancer, a cardiac arrest hastened the end.
Widely respected not only among the Malayalee community of Jamshedpur or the academic fraternity, Nair was known as a social worker with a large heart and a dynamic man who got things done.
Nair instituted some of Jamshedpur's best-known elite schools. But, the lasting legacy of the Rotarian who strongly championed egalitarianism, would perhaps be the afternoon Hindi-medium project schools for poor children.
For many, his greatest gift to Jamshedpur was Kerala Samajam Model School (KSMS), Jamshedpur, a co-educational English medium school, founded in 1980. Affiliated to the Council of Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) , New Delhi, and managed by a board of trustees under the aegis of Kerala Samajam, it is among the best institutions of the city.
Known by its acronym, KSMS started on borrowed capital of Rs 80,000 from friends and on donations, with five teachers and 72 students. It offered education from kindergarten to Class II. At present, KSMS has classes up to Plus Two and has 3,487 students.
Later, the Trust under his leadership started Kerala Public Schools (KPS) in Kadma, Burmamines, Mango, Agrico and Gamharia and one in Rairangpur, Odisha. The KPS chain started in 1995.
But Nair also strongly believed in offering the same infrastructure to teach poor minors and child labourers and give them a chance at a better life. So, from 2004, six project schools were born. Currently, the KSMS, KPS and project schools cater to over 12,000 students in the city.
In his lifetime, Nair was honoured by the Rotary Club of Jamshedpur and Dignity Foundation. He received the Karamveer Puraskar in New Delhi, instituted by iCONGO (a confederation of NGOs), a PPP in association with partners from industry, media, government, students, SMEs and other sectors. Nair was the secretary of Jharkhand Unaided Private Schools and Educational Institutions. He was also the president of the Chotanagpur Passengers' Association.
"He was such an icon that his void can never be filled. Personally, he was like a father. Our schools did not celebrate Teachers' Day this year because he was not keeping well," said Nandini Shukla, KSMS principal.
"It is a great loss to Jamshedpur. His contribution to the city's education scenario is vast," said T.K. Sukumaran, trustee, Kerala Samajam.
Bereaved son Sharat Chandran, director, Kerala Public School Trust, said the last rites would be performed in Kerala.
The Trust declared Monday a holiday in all schools run by it as a mark of respect.
