In Ironic, Alanis Morissette presents life as Janus-faced, one face contorted with cruelty (“life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything’s okay”) and the other crinkled with compassion (
“life has a funny way of helping you out when you think everything’s gone wrong”).
Every time it pokes in one of those two faces, it is usually the face one least expects to see. The Chennai High School on Eldams Road in Teynampet has had an “Ironic” moment, one it is basking in. Amidst talk of plummeting numbers in government-run schools and the ever-present bogey of closure, this Greater Chennai Corporation school is witnessing a surge in admissions against the backdrop of a pandemic.
K Revathy, headmistress, Chennai High School on Eldams Road, enthuses over the numbers, “From 357, the school’s strength has risen to 457. In fact, it should be counted as a leap from 307 to 457, if one factors in the 50 students from the school-leaving tenth-grade.”
The school is known for its aggressive enrolment campaign, marked by a novel exercise of teachers going from door to door, carrying a salver piled high with fruits to request parents to have their children join the school.
“For this academic year, we started the campaign in March. The teachers are extremely cooperative, and come with me wherever I go,” shares Revathy. “When a child joins our school, they are presented with a chess board.”
Marked by ceremony, these visits surely elevate potential students and parents to a heady sense of importance. However, it would be naive to think this is what is bumping up the numbers. It is the “after-sales service” that seems to be making much of the impact for the school.
It has gained a reputation for being parent-friendly, watching out for the families of its students.
Revathy explains, “The voluntary organisation Sethu Foundation runs a multi-skills development programme for our students, training them in photography and chess and teaching them spoken English and good handwriting techniques. I want to ensure that these students go a level higher than where they currently are in their economic standing, by concentrating on their mothers’ growth. If you impart skills to the mother, the entire family would be benefitted. Sethu Foundation recently started driving classes for the mothers of our students. It is also starting a programme to train these mothers in skills required for jobs that can be done from home.”
During the pandemic, the teachers made sure underprivileged students in the tenth grade had a mobile device and data to attend online classes.
“Around 30 students from Grade 10 were identified as requiring this assistance. Teachers passed the hat around and also sought the generosity of their friends and relatives to get gently-used mobiles. Similarly, they made sure these mobiles were recharged regularly. If I identify people among my circle who want to help out, I would share some numbers for them to recharge.”
