BMC schoolteachers go online to fill classrooms

MUMBAI: Large billboards, full-page newspaper advertisements and engaging marketing teams to attract students are common practices for private schools. Though civic schools do not have the privilege of resources, this hasn’t been a deterrent for their teachers who are using social media to promote their institutes and arrest the dwindling enrolment numbers.
Over the past few weeks, civic schoolteachers and officials have been working on posters and videos showcasing school infrastructure and the incentives on offer. For instance, DN Nagar Municipal Semi English School has created a video, that plays with a catchy background score, informing parents that admission and education is free, students get 27 school-related items, mid-day meals and medical camps. The video also promises digital and activity-based learning, computer education, proximity to home and no corporal punishment.
“During meetings, civic officials would always tell us to promote our schools like private institutes. So, this year, we decided to make the video and have been circulating it on social media,” said Nisar Khan, administrative officer, schools, for K-West ward which covers Andheri (W), Vile Parle (W) and Juhu. “We hope that the photographs from all the activities last year at least attract some students.”
In the same ward, some civic schools have made videos about the summer activities, like drawing and science workshops, which help students learn various skills.
According to Praja Foundation’s annual report on municipal education released earlier this year, the enrolment in class I at civic schools dropped to 30,075 in 2017-18 academic year from 63,392 in 2008-09. The organisation, through a time series, has predicted there’ll be no children in civic schools by 2027-28.
The Imambada Municipal Secondary School in Bhendi Bazaar has also been using social media to attract students for a few years, which may have been instrumental in increasing the student count to 350 in 2019-20 from 200 in 2013-14. “This year, we have created a WhatsApp group comprising parents of students who are studying in other BMC primary schools since we offer classes up to class X. We have also set up groups with our alumni who often help us get more students,” said Mohammad Aslam, assistant teacher at the school. The school has its own blog and Facebook page.
Experts feel a change in perception could also help. “Performance without a positive perception makes it difficult to attract good students; and perception without quality performance is a wrong practice,” said Francis Joseph, co-founder of School Leaders Network Foundation.
“The best way for schools is to talk about their factual performance in quality education and good practices, which will positively develop a strong perception thereby attracting good students. This would then translate into your school’s branding. It’s a welcome change for municipal schools to brand themselves; as it is usually under-rated in terms of perception and impact it creates on nation-building,” added Joseph, who is also the head, development and strategy for the Maharashtra International Education Board.