A novel project is set to kick off at the Egmore Museum, with students living in slum board tenements in far-flung and resettled areas, like Perumbakkam and the surrounding clusters, getting a feel of the museum every week.
The first batch of around 150 students from these areas will visit the museum on February 29, and officials hope to continue this every week, so that the children get to learn about the museum’s history and its artefacts.
“Slum clearance board officials will choose the students and bring them to the museum. On February 29, we have planned to bring 150 students, in two buses, take them on a tour around the museum, educate them about the museum’s history, its various galleries and their specialities,” an official told The Hindu .
While student tours of the museum are a regular feature, the initiative is likely to kindle interest in museology and archaeology among these children, the official added. The tour will be held for students from classes VI to X, the official added.
Rani, a parent in Perumbakkam, said children in the resettled colonies in the southern parts of Chennai do not have many entertainment options or educational opportunities. “The trips should be conducted on a regular basis. The science vans should also be brought to our areas so that the children can be moulded to do greater things,” she said.
