A respected bureaucrat who has served in various departments of the state government for over 33 yrs, Mr M. P. Vijayakumar I.A.S is widely acknowledged as the moving force behind the introduction and implementation of ABL in Tamil Nadu. Passionate about reforming public school education for the benefit of poor and underprivileged children Mr M. P Vijaykumar’s search for an alternative child-friendly pedagogy began in 1994 when as a collector of Vellore district, he set up non-formal schools for children working as bonded labor in the area.