Darul Uloom Higher Secondary School

Down here in Thootha, things move at their own pace, and Darul Uloom Higher Secondary School is right in the middle of it. We are located on the road connecting Cherpulassery and Perinthalmanna, so there are always buses and trucks passing by our gates. It’s a convenient spot for the students who come in from the surrounding villages in Palakkad. The school building has several floors, and you can see the green hills in the distance on clear days. We spend a lot of time just managing the daily routine, making sure the registers are marked and the lessons are moving along. It’s not always quiet; actually, it’s rarely quiet with so many teenagers in one place. During the monsoon, the rain hammers down on the roof so loudly that the teachers sometimes have to shout to be heard. We have a small staff room where we sit and have tea during the intervals. The furniture is a bit old, and the walls have some marks from over the years, but it feels like home to us. Most of the parents around here are hardworking people who just want their children to get through their exams. We don't have any big corporate backing, just the local support and the effort we put in every day to keep the doors open and the classes running for the kids who live in this part of the state.