CM launches KG sections in anganwadis

The decision to introduce KG classes has come forth to increase admissions in government schools and retain the students till the higher secondary level. Costing Rs 7 crore, a total of 2,381 Anganwadi centres across the State will have LKG and UKG classes and are likely to admit around 52,000 students.

According to a senior School Education Department official, the students’ enrolment in government schools in the current year (46.60 lakh) has reduced drastically by more than 17 percent compared to 2014-15 (56.55 lakh), thereby registering a decrease of 9.9 lakh students.

The government is planning to bring at least one lakh students into the Anganwadis as announced by School Education Minister Sengottaiyan in the State Assembly during the last budget session.

“The government had set January 2019 as the deadline to start enrolling students in the LKG and UKG classes in Anganwadis. Under the scheme, the LKG and UKG students will get new uniforms and each class would have a teacher,” the official said.

According to him, the admissions for LKG and UKG classes would be open until the next academic year.

“At present, parents, who want to put their kids in KG classes, have to depend only on private institutions. Most of them retain their kids in private schools. Hence, the admission figure in government schools has been witnessing a steep decline year after year,” he added.

He pointed out that the admission rate would increase due to the introduction of KG classes in Anganwadis.

“New syllabus launched by the SCERT will be followed,” the official said, adding that new teachers would be appointed before the classes commence.

Over 4,000 children appeared for kindergarten classes that were formally started in 171 Anganwadis across Vellore district on Monday evening. The classes kicked off as soon as the official inauguration was over in Chennai.

While children below three and a half years were placed in LKG, those above the age limit were placed in UKG. However, what peeved the parents was that the classes started at 4 pm, a time when usually schools get over.

The government deploying excess teachers, especially those in elementary sections, for this duty has not gone down well with office bearers of JACTTO-GEO who would start an indefinite, statewide strike from Tuesday.

TN Vocational Teachers Federation state general secretary SN Janardhanan said: “We are against the state government using elementary school teachers for teaching kindergarten students as the central government has specifically stated that only teachers with Montessori experience should teach the LKG/UKG students.”