PMC introduced semi-English medium of instruction in all schools after
the several students began dropping out from Marathi medium schools.
Under the scheme, selected subjects are taught in English. PMC had also
introduced e-learning in some of its schools where most subjects will be
taught using computers with minimal use of books.

Several
government schoolteachers from Chennai who had visited schools in Pune
are an excited lot. “We had visited several PMC schools and studied the
facilities in those schools. We also interacted with primary students
there in English. The volunteers of Teach for India were also playing a
key role in upgrading the standard of academics,” said Maheswari
Kalpana, headmistress of Kottur Chennai high school. The decision to
start new English medium schools came after the visit. At present, of
the 284 schools in the city only 99 schools have English as the medium
of instruction.

Officials said that they are planning to
implement the ‘Pune model’ in its schools. “Most parents prefer to send
their children to the English medium school. The dip in admissions to
Tamil medium schools proves this. We are also considering starting
semi-English medium schools. We also need the teachers to have good
command over the language,” said an official.

A corporation
official said: “Many parents from poor background wish to send their
children to private English medium schools, but the fees in such schools
are beyond their reach. The facilities we provide in our schools are on
a par with the ones offered in private schools. The problem is that
awareness about our schools remains low.”

A schoolteachers who
visited Pune said there was a marked change in facilities in schools
adopted by corporates. PMC also conducts campaigns to bring more
children to their schools. The Pune civic body has set aside 10 lakh to
advertise about their schools.