Education

Efforts have been made to create a positive perception of schools run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) with the aim of making the prospect of studying in these schools attractive. There has been an increase in enrollment in GCC-run schools in Chennai on the back of these moves and largely driven by the economic toll of COVID-19. While there is a clamour for smart classrooms and the creation of model schools in the city, many GCC-run schools continue to function without basic infrastructure such as an adequate number of classrooms, working toilets and usable and safe playgrounds. Teachers in…

On December 15th, 2022, around 15 students at the Banegar English High School in Mira Road were in for a rude shock. Denied permission to attend class as on a normal day, they were made to sit apart in a spare classroom with broken desks and benches. The reason: their parents had been unable to pay their school fees, and this was their punishment. "They switched off the fan and made them sit in the storeroom for the entire day. No teacher came to check on them, nor were they let out at recess," says Swaleha, mother to seventh grader…

When someone sees him for the first time, the most striking feature will have to be his quirky spectacle frame – square on his left eye, and round on the other. Narresh is the co-founder and creative director of Shivan & Narresh, India's first luxury holiday brand that was launched in Cannes with 100% stitch-free swim line. He has been featured in every major luxury fashion magazine and portal. Whether this was a future he had envisioned years back, when he was preparing for his final school board examinations, is difficult to say. But in a way the genesis of…

Swahlaya Sufi, 13, an eighth grade student at Elite English High School, Neelasandra, dreams of becoming a doctor. Unlike most of her classmates, who were revising for their class quiz, Swahlaya, who stays with her parents in the city but originally hails from Odisha, was calm and well prepared when I met her. Sakline Abbas, Secretary of Elite English High School, a low cost private school that aims to provide quality education to children from economically weak backgrounds, is impressed with Swahlaya's calibre. Abbas, had started the school with his wife Sakhina, the current Principal, in 2000. Read more: Students…

Every day we see two Indias. One with Indians heading prestigious companies, one with high unemployment rates. One where children thrive in online classrooms, learning new digital skills and coding games and one where 15-year olds struggle with reading from a children’s picture book. As a country we have taken gigantic strides, while leaving so many of our own behind. The real status of literacy in India  One morning, I saw my maid’s daughter, who was educated in an English medium school and is pursuing her Bachelor’s in commerce, struggle to read and understand a story meant for Grade 2…

With each passing year, the government owes private schools the reimbursements for students taken in free of cost under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The amount has racked up to around a crore for some schools, with several school associations alleging Rs 1,200 crore is due in total. “Last year, we received the RTE reimbursement for the academic years 2016-17 and 2017-18,” says Anushka Pradhan, head of primary at Gyan Kendra school in Andheri. The school takes in 52 new students from financially and socially weaker backgrounds with the promise of a free education till the eighth grade every…

Sakthi Vel N was on his way home from Kodambakkam on a busy night. He was stopped by the police personnel who asked him where he was from, to which he responded that he was from Vyasarpadi. Without any second thought, the police seized his bike. They asked him to go to the police station to collect his bike. "I had all my documents right there but that was apparently not enough. The fact that I am hailing from Vyasarpadi was enough for the police personnel to judge that there would be criminal cases against my name," said Sakthi Vel.…

The POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, was enacted in 2012. The Act aims to protect children under the age of 18 from offences of child sexual abuse and sexual harassment committed by adults. Despite the protections offered by this Act, cases registered under POCSO in Chennai have been on the rise as per the National Crime Records Bureau. Every other day there are news items of harrowing instances of child abuse. In many cases, the offenders turn out to be family members or staff at the school. Those entrusted with the welfare of children abuse the trust placed…

Schooling isn't always a uniform affair in Bengaluru. The quality of education varies with the school examination board, the syllabus, and whether the institution is run by the state or not. I spoke with the headmistress and teachers of a government secondary school in Byatarayanapura to get an insight into how their students are faring in their studies. The challenge of attendance Quadrangle of a Government School in Bengaluru. Pic: Sherin Sunny The stigma surrounding the quality of education in government schools is the primary reason for a lower enrolment rate. Suma (name changed), the headmistress of the government secondary…

Time spent in school during our formative years plays a crucial role in how we turn out as adults. This was certainly true for me. My ambitions ranged from being a 'symbologist' after reading Dan Brown to a chemist, after scoring the maximum marks in the subject. I am now a journalist, working a job that sates my curiosity and pays the bills. Many of my dreams and aspirations germinated because my school shaped my exposure to subjects, people and experiences. However, in retrospect, I also wish it had helped me become more aware of myself and the realities of…