TIRUCHY: The Government Model Higher Secondary School in Thuvakudi has suspended admission to Class 9 for 2026-27, setting aside their classrooms and hostel for a new residential coaching programme for 100 differently-abled Class 11 students from across Tamil Nadu preparing for NEET and JEE.
School Education Department officials said the decision was taken due to space constraints and students will be admitted directly to Class 10 next academic year. The arrangement is temporary until additional infrastructure is created, they added.
Sources in the School Education Department said additional infrastructure will be planned in the coming years to restore Class 9 admissions while continuing the specialised coaching programme.
The school usually admits 100 students to Class 9 every year based on their performance in the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) examination and overall academic record. Students admitted in Class 9 can continue their education at the residential school until Class 12.
“Alongside regular Class 11 admissions, we have begun identifying differently-abled students from government schools across TN who aspire to pursue medicine or engineering. They will be admitted to the Thuvakudi model school this academic year and provided free residential coaching for NEET and JEE, with an exclusive classroom earmarked for them,” an official said.
Teaching methods will be adapted to meet the students’ learning needs and campus facilities modified to improve accessibility.Teacher S Sivakumar welcomed the initiative, but said suspending Class 9 admissions will affect aspiring government school students seeking admission to the model school.
“Beginning in Class 9 gives students time to prepare for the Class 10 public examination. Suspending admission denies an entire batch that opportunity. The government should expand infrastructure so both programmes can run together,” he said. Asked about the suspension of Class 9 admission, Collector Pratik Tayal said he would look into the matter.
The model school has been functioning from its permanent campus inside the Government Polytechnic College campus in Thuvakudi since May 2025. Built at `57.47 crore, it replaced the school’s temporary campus near Ammapettai, where it had functioned since 2021.
The campus has 22 classrooms, separate science and computer laboratories, a library, a multipurpose hall, office rooms, two four-storey hostels, six rest rooms for men and women, accessible toilets for differently-abled students.