11.98 lakh students join Govt. & aided schools in Tamil Nadu

Government and aided schools across Tamil Nadu have admitted 11.98 lakh students since August 17. Of them, 8.70 lakh have been admitted to government schools and 3.28 lakh to aided schools for elementary and secondary education.

The admission process began later than usual this year. While schools continue to remain shut, the School Education Department allowed the admission process with adherence to safety norms.

“Despite the restrictions in place, school heads and teachers have managed to canvass among parents in nearby localities. Around 2.04 lakh students have joined Class 1 in government schools so far and we expect the numbers to go up to 4 lakh students by the end of September,” said S. Kannappan, school education director.

Shyam Sundar, director, Solar Trust which is a part of the Forum for Child Friendly Schools, said that they had seen an increase in students from private schools switching to aided schools in particular. “We have also appealed to schools to not stress on the need for all documents including Transfer Certificates for admission and make the process simpler for parents,” he said.

P.K. Ilamaran, president, Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association, said that many parents and students were aware of the 7.5% quota envisaged for MBBS seats from students of government higher secondary schools that had made them seek out these schools this year too.

Under the Right to Education Act, applications were accepted from August 27. So far, 41,800 applications have been submitted for entry level classes in private matriculation schools, said officials.