The Hindu       09.09.2014  

Corporation may take over schools in added city areas

The civic body has identified 132 schools in added areas
such as Sholinganallur, Alandur, Ambattur and Thiruvottiyur, to
integrate into its education system.

Following
requests from councillors, the Chennai Corporation is likely to pass a
resolution for the integration of 80 primary schools, 43 middle schools,
eight high schools and a higher secondary school, run for the weaker
sections in added areas, under erstwhile local bodies.

As
many as 23,000 students in such schools are expected to benefit from
welfare measures such as free civil service coaching by the Chennai
Corporation school system, formulated by the State government to benefit
urban poor.

Over 900 teachers in these schools will
also come under the new system. The education department of the
Corporation started with 40 primary schools in 1912, and has now
developed into a system of 32 higher secondary schools, 36 high schools,
one Urdu high school, one Telugu high school, 92 middle schools, 122
primary schools and 30 kindergarten schools, with an overall enrolment
of 83,000 students.

“After the take-over, our
students too will benefit from the State government’s welfare measures
in the city,” said the councillor of an added area. After the closure of
30 Chennai Corporation schools in 2009, the number of schools offering
quality education to the poor reduced in the city.

The addition of more schools in the system is expected to improve the quality of English education for poor students.

As many as 23,000 students and 900 teachers are expected to benefit from various welfare measures