The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Future of 20 lakh students "at stake"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Future of 20 lakh students "at stake"

Staff Reporter

March to seek Chief Minister's intervention in formalisation of the non-formal educational set-up

CHENNAI: The Foundation for Innovative Casework (FICAS) and the Tamil Nadu Nursery, Primary, Matriculation & Higher Secondary Schools Welfare Association are jointly organising a peace march on Friday seeking the Chief Minister's intervention to formalise the non-formal educational set-up.

"If the Government goes ahead with its announcement to close down unapproved schools, the future of over 20 lakh [students] would destabilise," said J.S.N. Nimmu Vasanth, founder president, FICAS.

"We are very thankful to the Chief Minister for extending the last date," she said. Ms. Vasanth said that it would not be possible for thousands of non-formal schools to carry out the necessary changes. They could only adhere to basic norms relating to safety and infrastructure. "We are requesting the Government to formalise the non-formal set-up so that there is some rule by which these schools operate and at the same time children do not lose out on their education," said Ananda Arumugam, president, Tamil Nadu Nursery, Primary, Matriculation & Higher secondary schools Welfare Association.

The march will begin at the Munroe statue at 3 p. m. and end at the Government Guest House. Astrologer pandit Kaliyur Narayanan, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, Prince of Arcot, Father K. M. Jose, Vice Provincial, Don Bosco Group of Institutions will participate in the closing function.

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