Chennai Corporation school infrastructure puts private schools to shame

Chennai: The corporation school in Kodungaiyur in north Chennai would put any private school to shame. The government-run higher secondary school boasts of biometric attendance, air-conditioned smart classrooms and library, and CCTV cameras, thanks to the teaching staff and locals who pooled in money to achieve the feat.

Beginning operations in 1999, it is now the most sought after government institution in north Chennai with students from neighbouring areas too flocking for admission.

In another first, the school also conducted a door-to-door awareness campaign in the neighbourhood, explaining the facilities that are available in the school to ensure that everyone is given the opportunity. “Teachers raised funds through their own contributions, friends and the public,” V Muniramiah, principal of the school, told Deccan Chronicle.

P. K. Ilamaran, a teacher,  who made efforts to form committees to ensure that the school’s infrastructure is improved and is on par with private schools, said that everyone worked as a team to achieve the feat. He said that every classroom has CCTV cameras and there is a library that is fully air-conditioned. The school also has a separate room where students can watch television news channels to keep abreast of happenings in the world.

V Rani, a class 10 student, said, “The school has given me the environment to study. With a garden and fish tank, the school environment keeps me calm and relaxed.”

The school has achieved 100 per cent result in the past five years and appreciating the efforts, the Greater Chennai Corporation has given Rs 5 lakh to the school for further augmenting facilities.

The school also encourages and implements the concept of tree sampling among students. The school also boasts of alumni who are lecturers in colleges, officials in the police department, sports personalities and cine stars.