Admissions to Class XI began in compliance with COVID-19 precautions at several government and government-aided schools across Tamil Nadu on Monday.
Students, accompanied by their parents, visited the schools to get the admission forms for the 2021-22 academic year.
With the Class X examinations cancelled, all students were promoted and the government earlier this month issued guidelines for them to seek admission.
Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi visited the Government Girls Higher Secondary School at Ashok Nagar.
“In 27 districts where some restrictions have been eased, admission has begun. In 11 other districts where all restrictions are still in place, we have instructed the Chief Educational Officers to wait for some more time before asking schools to begin admissions,” he said.
He said a decision on the reopening of schools would be taken after assessing the situation following the relaxation of some curbs. “It will not be feasible to reopen schools and immediately call all students to the campus. There are safety concerns that need to be discussed before a decision is taken,” he said.
“The School Education Department only has Kalvi TV now as the medium to reach a large number of students for classes. Connectivity issues prevail at many places but as far as possible, teachers are trying to reach out to students through WhatsApp,” he added.
In Chennai, parents and students visited several government schools from 9 a.m. to collect the forms. “We had very strict physical distancing norms in place and did not allow many parents to stay on the campus beyond a time limit. Parents and students were told they could submit the forms either today [Monday] or later,” said the headmistress of a school.
G. Shanmugavel, headmaster, Government Higher Secondary School, MGR Nagar, said, “Some students from smaller private schools have come looking for admission here. While a majority of our students have chosen to continue in our school, there are some students whose families have returned to their home towns because of the pandemic, and these students will join the government schools there,” he said.
Schools are also expecting admission enquiries for Classes I, VI and IX. The School Education Department has textbooks ready for distribution to schools this week.
