“Hard work pays off. I received the national-level ‘Best Teacher’ award way back in 1971 in recognition of my contribution in the field of education. One must keep working, the recognition will automatically come,” said V. Koteswaramma, founding Director of the Montessori Educational Institutions in city. She was reacting to the news that she had been conferred with a Padma Shri award in the ‘Education and Literature’ category on Wednesday.
Padma awards being one of the highest civilian awards, the response of the nonagenarian would have perhaps been more pronounced had it not been for her failing health which did not allow her to celebrate her achievement. The Padma Shri is only an additional feather in her crowded cap.
Born in 1925 to a teacher couple in Gosala, a tiny village adjacent to Kankipadu, Koteswari, as she was called then, overcame grim odds to become a source of hope and determination for others of her ilk. She lost her mother when she was all of two years and her father, to keep his promise made to his wife that he would allow Koteswari to continue education till graduation, shifted her to Vijayawada.
“Those days, it was very difficult to get girls educated as no girl would step out of home after crossing 13 years,” she had told this correspondent in an earlier interview.
She grew up and became the first woman graduate in Vijayawada taluka, way back in 1945. Her growing passion for teaching quietly buried her hitherto interest in medicine and after degree in Andhra Christian College, Guntur, she opted for B.Ed.
Education opened up new vistas of growth and she wanted to open a school now. But since it was an expensive affair, she started teaching in the Patamata Zilla Parishad School.
In 1955, she got lucky when an offer came her way to teach a set of children who were left in the lurch by a local person who had disappeared after collecting money from their parents. With a bunch of 20 kids, she started a nursery school and thus began her journey in the field of education.
The national award declaring her ‘Best Teacher’ in 1971 was followed by the State-level award the next year.
In 1973, she set up the Montessori Junior and Degree Colleges and in 1984, the Montessori College of Education came into existence.
Today, the Montessori Educational Institutions impart education from KG to PG level and most of the credit for their outstanding growth over the years goes to Ms. Koteswaramma.
Published - January 26, 2017 12:28 am IST
