In January 1980, Mr.A.Panchalingam, who was the Deputy Principal was made Principal. He has the destination of having served Kokuvil Hindu College, as its chief for the longest period of over eleven years (January 1980 to March 1991). He did not spare any pains in working for the uplifement of the school both academically and in the field of sports. The clamour for admissions into K.H.C. is itself evidence of the high esteem in which the school is held by both pupils and parents alike. His administrative efficiency earned the administration of his colleagues. K.H.C. was and is a co-educational institution. In the late seventies, there were subtle moves to make it an exclusive Boys school moving the girl students to the Ramakrishna mission school located a quarter of a mile away. It was largely due to Mr.Panchalingam’s efforts that this move was effectively stymied.
On him fell the task of guiding the destinies of the college at a crucial period of its history-when the Indian Peace Keeping Force camped in the college for well over fifty-eight days (from November 18, 1987 to January 4,1988). The college also served as the Refugees camp in October-November 1987 where over 7500 persons displaced from their homes, sought Shelter. The college ground was a mass grave for the thirty of the refugees who died with camp. Mr. Panchalingam served the college with distinction, undaunted determination, unimpeachable integrity, unflagging firmness and total dedication and helped in salvaging the school out of the mire into which it had fallen. The damage to the school buildings, furniture and equipment during this crisis exceeded well over fifteen lakh of rupees. Expedition restoration of normalcy for the school to function was no easy task. It is to Mr. Panchalingam?s lasing credit that school started functioning without any long interruption.
Mrs. Suppramaniam, who was the deputy principal from January 1980 ably assisted the principal until she retired from service. Her devotion to the school is such that she used her holiday in Australia, in retirement to collect over a lakh of rupees for the school-building fund. She also prepared the groundwork for the birth of an O.S.A in. Sydney with Mr. Ganeshalingam. She moved to Canada later and helped inaugurate the O.S.A in Toronto in 1994. Mr. N. RanjitKumar laboured to inaugurate the O.S.A in U.K. in April 1993. Conscious of the limitations of K.H.C. the concern of the Association their have sprung up overseas to help the college tide over ins difficulties should be greatly appreciated.