With parents often preferring private schools over those run by the Chennai Corporation, the civic body is considering introducing kindergarten sections in more schools.
The education department of the Corporation plans to place at next year’s Corporation budget a proposal to introduce kindergarten classes in schools where the student strength is less than 100. “We are currently evaluating the schools that have only a few students. We are noticing that the kindergarten programme has become very successful, with parents showing enthusiasm to enrol their children in them,” a senior Corporation official said.
An example of this success is the Chennai Primary School on Thana Street, Purusawalkam. “We had just 48 students in the school. When the KG section was introduced, 58 students were enrolled. It was only due to the introduction of KG classes that we could salvage that school,” an official said.
The starting of kindergarten classes at 25 Corporation schools in the city in 2014 has taken up the total number of kindergarten students to 5,423. This year alone saw 1,723 children being enrolled at the beginning of the academic year. “Parents are enrolling their children even now and the number is increasing,” the official said.
There are now 65 Corporation schools that have kindergarten classes with the Montessori method of learning, which was first introduced in the late 90s. Students are given three sets of uniform, shoes and socks, and Montessori kits, but are not covered under the noon-meal programme. “Currently, school heads are making do by including KG students in the programme and giving them lunch, but we are proposing the children should be given milk and fruit at least, in the proposal,” the official said.
The Corporation will also consider the space constraints in introducing the new sections. At least two classrooms will be needed for conducting the lower and upper KG classes. “Some schools, especially in north Chennai, are very cramped, so we need to take into consideration the infrastructure before we begin the classes,” the official added.
