Virugambakkam government school is prime example of an island of excellence

The school has also been producing results above 95 per cent each year. Headmistress Shashi Swaran Singh who took over two years ago, believes that a government school is not just for a section of the society. “I gave a newspaper advertisement saying that admissions were open for all mentioning unique features of the school like free self-defence classes, motivation sessions and emphasis on sports.”  

She says that some parents even send their girls to school only because they feel they are unsafe at home and some of them insist of removing their wards from the rolls because they fear they would be misled. 

Recently a family went to the HM with their XI class daughter asking for a transfer certificate (TC). “The parents claimed that they did not trust her anymore and asked for a TC. The student is bright so I told her that I would support her education and even put her in a hostel on a promise that she would focus only on attending school. This school does not issue a TC to weak students or to long absentees. We do not believe in removing such students to earn a 100 per cent pass,” Shashi said. 

Shashi is a recipient of Dr Radhakrishnan award from State government in 2012 and the President’s award in 2014 during her tenure as an English teacher in Kodambakkam Government Higher Secondary School. The Principal’s room is adorned with paintings by students and a numbersof trophies achieved in various fields. “One of our girl’s PM Tabitha has gone to attend a national athletic meet in Gujarat. She is competing in the under 17- hurdles tournament,” the HM said. 

A visit to the school revealed that the courtyard was exceptionally clean with a nursery run by the students. The school has even replanted trees which were unrooted during the Vardah cyclone. The school accommodates around 13 specially-abled students and has a resource centre for them. For the first 10 toppers of class X, the school does not charge them for their Class 11 and 12. 

One of their alumni Vigneshwari, who completed Class 12 last year says. “I scored 1104 in XII, and I am pursuing first year at Chettinad College of Engineering and Technology in Karur. I was given admission on merit basis. The teachers are dedicated. They do not mind repeating lessons to help us understand. The teachers also go an extra mile to help students with their personal problems. In fact one of our teachers went ahead to pay school fees for a classmate,” engineering student said.