Udhagamandalam: A 96-year-old Urdu medium elementary school in Ooty, which was upgraded to a middle school, was inaugurated by Nilgiris collector J Innocent Divya on Thursday.
The Gandhi Nagar Municipal Urdu medium Elementary School at Kandal, the only one of its kind in the district, was started on January 1, 1925 with 23 students.
“Till the academic year 2016-17, the school maintained more or less the same strength. The number of students increased after Mohamed Ameen took over as the headmaster in 2017,” said chief education officer Nazarudeen. “As many as 14 new students jointed Class VI after upgradation. There are 154 students now.”
There was a need to upgrade the school as Muslim population is more in Kandal area, said Divya. “The Ooty municipality facilitated the school with two more classrooms.”