Katpadi teachers launch campaign to boost enrolment in govt schools

VELLORE: Love for their school has resulted in teachers and the headmaster of the government boys higher secondary school at Katpadi spending own money to attract admissions for the current academic year, sources said.

Posters reveal the advantages of studying in government schools. They include availability of both English and Tamil medium, provision of various state government schemes, toilets, drinking water, facilities for various sports, including kho kho, hand ball, basketball and training in track and field events, training in drawing, availability of scouts, junior red cross, NCC, NSS, high tech labs, daily online quiz classes, library with more than 15,000 books and scholarships for students, it was said.

Talking to DT Next teacher GD Babu, who was the brain behind the idea said, “we started this idea when the school strength dropped to 760 in 2019 resulting in the school losing 4 teaching posts. However, aided by two lady teachers Kanimozhi and Kavitha who canvas support from primary schools, I along with male teachers get addresses from nearby middle schools and then visit the parents requesting them to admit their wards in our school.”

This resulted in the strength creeping upto 1,100 now. However, the move was buoyed by the help of the school headmaster Jortheeswarapillai “who spending his own money cleared the 7 acres school ground of bushes and ensured separate toilets for middle, high and higher secondary students,” said teacher Kanimozhi.

When student strength increased, the government sanctioned 9 posts of which 6 have been filled and the remaining 3 are expected to be filled this year. Such success resulted in Babu spending Rs 25,000 own money to provide lights and fans for all classes from 6 to 10. “I plan to get donations from friends, old students and well-wishers to create a science lab costing Rs 5 lakh, Babu said.

“As parents feel our motives are true, they are more than willing to admit their wards specially when they realise that studying in Classes 6 to 10 in government schools makes students eligible for 7.5 per cent reservation in medical and engineering colleges and 20 per cent reservation in jobs through TNPSC,” said teacher Kavitha.

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