TIRUCHY: With a majority of schools not reopening until next month, children are busy picking up skills, including in niche domains like Artificial Intelligence (AI), through summer camps held across the city. Sports camps are also not far behind in terms of interest as several of them even adjusted timings to ensure children don't have to sweat it out in the sweltering heat. Adapting to the tech boom in AI, Robotics and IoT, many children have enrolled in basic coding camps, said N S Ismail, the managing director of T4TEQ Software Solutions.
"Nowadays degrees don’t suffice; more skills are required for employment. We are providing basic training for children so that they will have some understanding about coding. They can develop their skills in future upon this," he added. He also opined that the interest among the children to learn technology would increase in the years to due to the advancement in the industry. Likewise, Technology Garage, at Tennur, offers camps as an alternative to excessive screen time.
"We want young technology enthusiasts to learn through gamified methodologies. Parents, who worry about their children's increasing screen time, are seeing this as an alternative. Children can also develop their own VR games here, which will be a boost to their creative thinking. It is a win-win for both parents and kids," said Logendhran AV. Outdoor sports have not lost their sheen either. Veeraragavan Ramachandran of Alchemy Sports Centre, Thiruvanaikoil, said, "Students’ footfall has been the same over the years despite the heat, as we have adjusted the class timings to early mornings and late evenings."
S Ramya of Crawford said, "I want my daughter to be physically fit and healthy. So, I send her to yoga class which helps her to remain calm.” S Rakshana, a student from Srirangam said, "I want to be active and fit. I love attending my skating lessons." The institutions that are conducting summer camps are also competitive. Trichy Plus for instance, a training institute at Thillai Nagar, has a summer camp programme blending educational activities with arts.
"By integrating educational elements with recreational activities, we aim to provide children with a platform to discover new passions. Also, it will be more engaging for children," said S Savithri, director. Meanwhile, A Alan Prakash from Sindhu Bhairavi School of Fine Arts and Event Management brought attention to the issue of some private schools requiring their students to attend their camps. "Some private schools tell their students to attend their summer camps, which can limit children's exposure to diverse experiences and high-quality trainers," he said.