CHENNAI: For the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), getting an out-of-school child back into a classroom may mark the success of a door-to-door survey. But, as the GCC has brought more than a thousand out-of-school children back into formal education, lack of bridge courses to regain basic learning skills has left many struggling to cope with the regular curriculum.
The GCC enrolled 619 children in schools and 396 in ITIs, diploma, polytechnic and other training programmes. It was observed that school-returned children are facing greater difficulty in learning than those who joined vocational programmes, where learning is largely practical.
Several children who spoke to TNIE said they are finding it difficult even to read English letters, write basic sentences, and understand fundamental concepts after a year or more away from school.
Saranya, a high school student from South Chennai, had to drop out after she was abandoned by her parents. After being re-enrolled through the GCC’s drive, she was placed directly in a regular classroom with students who had been attending school continuously.
“I can manage Tamil now, but English, Social Science and other subjects seem alien to me. I can’t even read or remember what I study,” she said. “I am also afraid to tell my teachers that I do not understand the concepts, especially in front of the whole class,” she said.
Residing with her relatives, who often ask her to do household chores, she said, “I have no one to share how I continue to struggle with all this amid reading and writing.”
The GCC is also yet to engage psychologists to counsel children returning after prolonged breaks. A senior corporation official told TNIE, “The appointment of psychologists is in the final stages.”
Sharatha, a middle-school student, faces similar difficulties with English and Mathematics. Though a teacher initially conducted separate sessions on the basics during lunch hours for a few days, she said those short sessions were not enough. “I could not even understand what was in the question paper during the recent quarterly examination. My teachers gave answers, and I wrote them on the answer sheet,” she said.
Mukesh, another middle-school student from North Chennai who returned to school in August, was asked to complete lessons that had been taught before he joined. The extent of the learning gap raises further concern over the lack of bridge courses. According to a survey by IRCDUC, of 148 out-of-school children who were identified by the NGO and reintegrated with the help of the civic body, it found that only 16 had been out of school for less than six months and 23 for six months to a year.
While 37 of them had been out of school for 1-2 years, 34 for 2-3 years, and 11 had been out for 3-7 years, the duration was unavailable for 26 children.
“Re-enrollment is just a first step. Given the years-long gap in their education, bringing these children back without bridge courses raises concerns about their ability to sustain schooling. The GCC must conduct bridge courses as proper classes, but not just during lunch hours,” said Vanessa Peter, founder of IRCDUC.
Though GCC Mayor R Priya announced a bridge-course programme in the 2026-27 Budget, it is yet to be implemented even after half the financial year has passed. The programme proposed three schools, one in each region - to provide foundational education to children who were out of school, had dropped out, or migrated - with classrooms and teachers arranged based on enrolment.
Vanessa said three would be inadequate and the GCC must study the requirement and establish an adequate number of bridge schools. She also called for comprehensive guidelines for conducting bridge classes as part of the out-of-school children re-enrolment exercise, along with continued follow-up to ensure their retention in schools and address their socio-economic vulnerabilities.
A senior corporation official assured that bridge courses will be introduced for the children as soon as possible.
