Private schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are mushrooming in Tiruchi and surrounding areas.
The number of CBSE schools was less than 10 in Tiruchi till 2010. The two Kendriya Vidhyalayas were among them. The number is going up at a fast pace every year. It has witnessed manifold increase over the last few years.
According to sources, it has gone up to about 72 in the district and the number is likely to reach three digits within three to five years. There are 12 CBSE affiliated schools in Perambalur and Ariyalur as well.
In addition to the educational trusts, which are running schools and colleges in Tiruchi for several years, several managements that run a chain of schools in Chennai, Hyderabad, Namakkal, Coimbatore, and Karur, have started schools with CBSE affiliation in Tiruchi. Several more schools are said to be in the pipeline.
Though the city’s first CBSE school came into being about 50 years ago, it was after the introduction of the Samacheer Kalvi syllabus in the State board schools in 2009 that more CBSE affiliated schools were started in the city. Since a section of people felt that the Samacheer Kalvi syllabus was too easy, many parents began to enrol their wards in the CBSE schools. The performance of those who studied in CBSE schools at the national-level competitions such as National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) gave a fillip to the parents to prefer CBSE schools, say academicians in Tiruchi.
“We began to get more students to CBSE affiliated schools since 2010 and 2011. The syllabus that supports the national level tests is the main reason for the parents to enrol their children in CBSE schools,” says K. Chandrasekharan, Chief Executive Officer of Santhanam Vidhyalaya in Tiruchi.
Another reason for the mushrooming CBSE schools is the combined IIT-JEE programmes that they offer. There are schools that have understanding with specialised academies to prepare the students to perform well in competitive examinations.
“There is a perception that CBSE syllabus is better than others. It drives the parents to look for CBSE schools. The demand is driving private school managements to start more CBSE schools,” says R. Ravichandran, Chairman, Golden Gates Group of Schools, Perambalur.
There are matriculation schools that wait for the completion of standard operating procedures to switch over to CBSE stream. It is said that the proliferation of CBSE affiliated is not just limited to Tiruchi but also to sub-urban and rural areas such as Manapparai, Thuraiyur, and Lalgudi.
R. Venkatasawamy, Correspondent, V.V. Jayam Paramahamsar Vidhyalaya, Tiruchi, said that launching of more schools had brought immense competition among them to perform well in various stages. They were in a position to invest on good teachers.
