COIMBATORE: The district school education department has directed the HMs of Panchayat Union Middle Schools (PUMS) across the district to conduct admission awareness campaign and increase strength of students. This comes a day after the State government released instructions about the functioning of LKG and UKG classes on Thursday.
A district educational officer, on condition of anonymity, said, “As many as 122 UKG and LKG classes are functioning in the government schools across the district. However, the classes were suspended due to Covid-19 and did not restart after that. Now, parents are reluctant to send their children to these government schools due to this gap in reopening and other issues like lack of teachers and amenities. Also, following the confusion in restarting the classes, many parents have already admitted their children to nearby private play schools.”
Now, the headmasters of that schools are asked to conduct an awareness campaign in their locality to attract students to the LKG and UKG classes. Further, they have also asked to do spot admission if the habitation has students above three and four, who are not attending schools, he added.
When contacted, a headmaster from a corporation school, on condition of anonymity said, “We did not conduct admission in our school due to class shortage. Also, parents are not ready to send their children to school as there is no teacher for LKG, and UKG classes. Now, Anganwadi workers are taking care of the kids under the headmaster’s supervision. But it will not be effective in the LKG, UKG classes.”
Chief Educational Officer N Geetha told TNIE, “Admissions are going on for the LKG, UKG classes in the government schools. We are collecting the details of students who have joined in these classes. Only after that the exact number of students joined for LKG and UKG classes in the district will be known.”