Migrant labourers of Kerala will be given the opportunity to learn Malayalam language under Kerala Literacy Mission’s equivalency course programme. The classes will begin first in Perumbavoor of Ernakulam district, where the migrant population is highest in the state.

The programme will start in December and it will begin with a survey among the workers to understand their interest in studies.

“The programme will be launched either by the chief minister or the education minister in December in Perumbavoor. We will extend the project to other parts of the state only if the pilot programme in Perumbavoor is successful,“ PS Sreekala, director of the Mission told The Times of India.

The mission officials will also initiate a campaign to popularize the program.

“Earlier, surveys by students as part of their project work had showed that migrant workers want to learn regional language and mingle with the society. We believe the programme will be successful,“ Sreekala said.

She said that may teachers with knowledge of Hindi and other languages have expressed willingness to teach migrant labourers.

“ As many of them living in Kerala work in construction, we taught them words related to the sector. They were interested in learning Malayalam,“ V V Mathew, Ernakulam district coordinator of the Mission, who had taken classes for migrant labourers in Kottayam Jail told ToI.