Chennai
The school students use the facility during their school hours, with a coach to train them. This is one of the many amenities that the Parent’s Teachers Association (PTA) has helped the school in the recent times.
In 2007, the same premises were a dilapidated one and a convenient spot for miscreants to consume alcohol and drugs. There was no electricity, no water supply and nothing here resembled a school. “Back then, we had only three students. The situation was so bad that local newspapers published articles on the condition. Today, we have around 986 students,” says M Afsar Basha, president of the PTA. “No parent wanted to admit their children here. The first step was to get the basic amenities in place. The campus is spread across two acres and there is so much that we could do. The PTA got involved in 2008. The first step was to collect funds to put things in place,” he adds. Both his children study in the same school.
The challenges were many, as parents were worried about sending their children to the school. “We undertook a doorto-door campaign, where we went to every house in the area and asked the parents to send their children to our school. We even spoke to kids of pavement dwellers and had them admitted here,” says a PTA member. The enrolment numbers have increased over the years. In 2014, the first batch of students took the Class 10 board exams after 15 years.
“The first step we took was to change the medium of instruction to English. However, we also teach Islamic studies and the Quran. It is a coed school with separate blocks for girls and boys. Every student has an ID card and we send SMS to parents regarding the homework for the day. We also organise science exhibitions, done by the students,” says Afsar.
A number of philanthropists have come forward to regularly contribute to buy books and study material for the students, thanks to the drive of the PTA members who highlight the work done by them for the school. “Recently, the New College donated desktops to the school,” says Afsar, who is now busy helping top performers in the board exam get admission in Class 11.
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