After dropping ranking system in Tamil Nadu, schools in Namakkal take NEET turn

Before the State government abolished the ranking system, 97 private higher secondary-level schools played a part in putting the district famous for eggs on top of the list of student achievers.
Image for representation only.
Image for representation only.

NAMAKKAL: Known for producing eggs and churning out eggheads, Namakkal is, so to say, the rank capital of the State. Now that the ranking system in the SSLC and HSC board examinations has been abolished, private schools, which set into motion the city’s rise as an education hub, have found another USP to market themselves: NEET.

Till last year, whenever the SSLC and HSC results were made public, the focus automatically shifted to the city, for the top ranks were invariably bagged by students from here. A major role in the achievement was played by the numerous ‘rank farms’ — 97 private higher secondary-level schools — as against 86 government institutions. Rank farms in the district were giving poultry farms a run for their money in terms of productivity.

Maintaining high standards consistently is no child’s play and ample example of the dictum in practice was seen in the way these private institutions scouted for talent and made achievers out of them. The moment news of a government school student acing the SSLC becomes public, private institutions roll out the red carpet and unleash a plethora of mouthwatering offers to poach them. Such is the cut-throat competition that the next two years are spent passing the student through an arduous grind to ensure they ace Plus Two examination with flying colours.

The story of Namakkal’s famed rank farms began 18 years ago when a few private schools opened shop in the dry belt. Top ranks in public exams were eventually bagged by district students with increasing frequency and parents began making a beeline for ‘achiever’ schools. Slowly and steadily, Namakkal transformed into the ‘education capital’.

Come admission season, one can see long queues of parents jostling to get their hands on application forms outside private schools. Hoardings and advertisements mushroom and TV channels and newspapers flash smiling pictures of students, who made it big. That was last season. This year, there has been a drought in self-promotion, with schools pinning the blame on the State government.

Hailing the State government’s move to abolish the ranking system is E Balagurusamy, former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University. “Thousands of students get high scores but one or two marks make all the difference at this level. This led to unhealthy competition, commercialisation of education and depression among students,” Balagurusamy, member of the high-level committee that recommended abolishing the ranking system, said.

“Considering its side-effects, we recommended that the system be scrapped and the government accepted it,” he told Express. Educationists are critical of private schools functioning like poultry farms. “To extract 100% results, they treat children like prize chicken,” opined a cross-section of education experts, attributing the recent trend of student suicide to study pressures exerted by these institutions.

“Some schools start Class XII portions in Class XI. While they prepare the students for boards, they skip laying the foundation. The fees are also exorbitant. For a Class XI seat, the tuition fees alone amount to Rs 1.5 lakh. Hostel and food fees are extra. Since last year, these schools have started levying an extra Rs 50,000-1 lakh under the guise of NEET coaching. Two private schools in Namakkal, one in Rasipuram, one in Paramathi Velur and three in Tiruchengode, in particular, are known for their high fees,” added an expert.

After School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan abolished the ranking system, most private schools in the district are awaiting NEET results to advertise their achievements. The schools have to self-promote as competition is getting stiffer and one unguarded season could open the floodgates for future losses.

However, Prince Gajendra Babu, educationist and general secretary of State Platform for Common School System, says the model has been in vogue for the past 30 years. Showing off and poaching have been part of their scheme for too long to change.

“In 2010, when the State government introduced a uniform syllabus, private schools switched over to CBSE to retain their demand, market and relevance. Last year, when NEET was introduced, Namakkal schools were a study in contrast. While the entire State was up in arms against NEET, schools here did not utter a word against the new common entrance test. They know well that NEET would be a goose that lays golden eggs. They aim to tie up with coaching institutions to reduce their own workload,” Babu pointed out.

Giving a damning assessment of the faculty status, Babu said: “Most schools do not have qualified teachers from Class VI. Most of the teaching is done using coaching guides. Now, thanks to NEET, they will not even bother about the curriculum and prepare students only for NEET. This will kill students’ creativity. The government should intervene right now and break this nexus of coaching institutions and schools,” says Babu.

“From the onset, we have opposed NEET as it would turn schools into coaching centres. Students would not get to learn as raising doubts would be discouraged. This would also prevent academic advancement of students. They would have no chance of becoming scholars. It will affect their socio-economic development,” he stated, before making another valid point: “Students go to school not only to become doctors. Why should they be forced to study only for NEET?”

On allegations of schools admitting students to Class XI even before SSLC results are out, Babu said that Chief Education Officers should ensure that awareness is created on the number of sections in private schools, with the maximum strength allowed.

When contacted, Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association president R Visalakshi said that there is no harm in schools coaching students for NEET after addressing the curriculum. “However, running a coaching centre in the school is not acceptable. The government should explain the procedure. Regarding Class XI admission allegations, parents should have faith in their wards before imposing their will on them.”

Meanwhile, education department officials claim they don’t know anything about the issue. “If any such complaint is brought to our notice, we shall take steps to nip this in the bud,” a senior education department official said. Although this newspaper tried to contact Sengottaiyan, he was not available for comments.

Flying high intellectually

In Class X public examinations this year, Namakkal district achieved a pass percentage of 96
24,436 students appeared for exams from 309 schools (including government, aided and private). A total of 23,459 students cleared the papers (pass percentage 96), which is 0.17% higher than last year’s 95.83

In Second Language, 23,982 students of 24,436 cleared the paper (pass percentage 98.14), 23,840 passed in English (97.56%), 23,743 in Maths (97.16%), 24,359 in Science (99.68%) and 24,087 passed in Social Science (98.57%)

Among 309 schools, 146 schools achieved 100% results this year, in contrast to 132 last season. Similarly, 42 government schools achieved 100% results (38 in 2016). No students in Namakkal district achieved centum marks in Second Language, while there were three in English. But 868 students got 100% in Maths, 930 did so in Science and 2,078 achieved the same in Social Science

This year, students from Namakkal achieved State-level ranks. R Prema Sudha, a student of SRV Excel Matric Higher Secondary School (MHSS) in Rasipuram, scored 499 and achieved first place in the State. She scored 99 in Tamil and centums in English, Maths, Science and Social Science. Her father G Rajendran, a native of Reddiyur Satharam in Dindigul district, is a farmer and mother R Renuka Devi is a housewife

Likewise, K Indhu from Reliance MHSS, SN Kiran Satheesan from SPK MHSS, TS Mounish Shankar from Vetri Vikaas Boys HSS, AK Om Prakash from Kamarajar Matric School, V Prem Kumar from SKV MHSS and S Priyadharshini from Sri Vidya Mandir MHSS scored 498 and got second place in the State. Similarly, 29 in Namakkal scored 497 and got third place

18

The story of Namakkal’s famed rank farms began 18 years ago when a few private schools opened shop in the dry belt. Slowly and steadily, Namakkal transformed into the ‘education capital’

Rs 50K

According to an expert, private schools have started levying an extra Rs 50,000-1 lakh under the guise of NEET coaching. Two in Namakkal, one in Rasipuram, one in Paramathi Velur and three in Tiruchengode are known for high fees.

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