THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Siju John, an NRK based in Abu Dhabi, lost his job in a private firm in mid-May following the Covid pandemic. Realising that his wife’s modest income alone will not be enough to support the family and sustain the education of his two children in the Gulf country, he decided to relocate to Kerala. His only concern was ensuring that his children’s studies are not interrupted in the process.
That’s when he heard about the ‘Pratyavartan’ programme launched by Council of CBSE Schools, Kerala (CCSK), an association representing over 760 schools affiliated to the national board. ‘Pratyavartan’ also titled ‘Operation Home Coming’ was launched by CCSK for children of NRKs who are set to return in large numbers to the state.
A month since its launch, CCSK has received around 1,300 requests for admissions to various CBSE schools in the state. After registering through the single window portal https://ccskerala. org/pratyavartan, Siju was able to confirm admission for his two children for Classes VI and VIII at a school in his home district Ernakulam. Under Pratyavartan, fee concession is provided to the children of NRKs keeping in mind their grim financial situation owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to CCSK officer bearers, some of the member-schools have expressed willingness to waive up to 50 per cent of the admission fees and 20 per cent of the tuition fees for the current academic year for children of NRKs facing financial difficulties. “The initiative is hugely beneficial to a number of NRKs, most of whom are set to relocate to the state in the coming months,” said Alex Koshy, Chairman, Pravasi Conclave Trust, an umbrella organisation of various NRI groups.
According to CCSK, the single window platform launched for Pratyavartan helps parents easily identify schools and understand in detail the facilities provided by these institutions in places of their choice. However, for admissions to Class X and above, special sanction from CBSE would be required, they said.