| Kovalam |
 Almost 2800 students attend the school of Mount Carmel Mission. They are Hindus, Muslims and Christians (in percentages similar to the rest of India). The levels of education go from kindergarten to 12th standard which corresponds to the last year of our high school. Of the 80 teachers only those of the lower classes receive their salary from the Government. The rest are paid through donations and eventual minor students’ fees. Being built on land donated to the Catholic Church, the school is now run by a resident Catholic priest of the Diocese of Chingleput, father Augustine. 
Home for GirlsThe first building financed by the Cuomo Foundation in Kovalam includes a boarding house for girls and a home for old abandoned men. Construction began in February 2001 and it was inaugurated on May 3rd, 2002 by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Lawrence Pious. The building houses about 100 girls (in separate rooms of six beds each) and 11 old men (in rooms of four or two).Earlier, the girls slept elbow-to-elbow on the floor and the old men on wooden benches. Now, besides the sleeping quarters, in this dormitory there are two dining halls, one large kitchen, study room, Tv room, toilets and showers. The building has a surface of 2060 square meters. Home for boys The second building financed by the Cuomo Foundation in Kovalam is a boarding house for boys. It was inaugurated on November 27, 2002 by His Grace Arul das James, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore. His Excellency Dr. A. Neethinathan, Bishop of Chingleput and Rt. Rev. Bishop Lawrence Pious were also present at the ceremony. The building (on two levels) covers an area of 1301 square meters. On the ground floor there are study rooms, kitchen and refectory. On the second floor are two dormitories with 200 beds, toilets and showers. Before the construction of the new boarding house, more than 100 boys lived in two small old buildings but mostly slept in the open air. 
The New SchoolThe third building financed by the Cuomo Foundation in Kovalam is a large school building covering a surface of 1356 square meters (on two levels). It comprises 12 large classrooms (capacity: 50 students each), one chemistry laboratory, one physics laboratory and a multi-purpose hall. It was inaugurated by Father ArulRaj, Vicar of the Diocese of Chingleput, on January 13th 2004. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the 2300 students of the school. The expenses for the maintenance of the above boarding houses and their occupants are paid for yearly by the Cuomo Foundation.Kindergarden and Elementary SchoolThe forth project of the Fondation Cuomo in Kovalam is the construction of an English Medium Nursery and Primary School which house between 250 and 300 children who begin here their education in the English language. The new building, inaugurated in March 2007, covers a surface of approximately 320 square meters and has 8 classrooms.The New School BuildingIn 2009, the construction of a new school building was approved by the Cuomo Foundation. Work began in 2009 and will finish mid-2010.This new construction on 3 floors will include classrooms, labs, a library, a computer room and the new office of the Cuomo Foundation in Kovalam. 
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