CHAPTER-2

Before the advent of British in India, education was considered as a private affair. Upto 1813, the East India Company did not recognize the promotion of the education among the natives of India. The Governor of Madras Province, Sir Thomas Munro, was responsible to establish the Board of Public Instruction in 1826, which should be considered as the origin of the Education Department. Wood's dispatch on education in 1854 laid the foundation on which the educational system has since developed. In accordance with the recommendations of the dispatch, The Madras provincial government established a Department of Public Instruction in the state. The rules and regulations were designed to assist the indigenous institutions to improve themselves and to give some assistance. The first set of grants for aided schools was issued in 1855. By 1881, a considerable portion of indigenous institutions had become aided schools and thus they moved from the category of private to public schools.

Under the Local Boards Act 1871, Local Boards were constituted and empowered to open schools and get subsidy from the government. The Madras Elementary Education Act, 1920 enabled the local bodies to levy an educational cess on land or property tax for advancement of elementary education. In1920 elementary education was taken from District Boards and entrusted to Taluk Boards and Municipalities and the power of according recognition to aided elementary schools was transferred from the Education Department to the District Education Councils. In 1934 the Taluk Boards were abolished and elementary schools administration was entrusted again to the District Boards. In 1939, District Education Councils were also abolished and the power to recognize elementary schools was restored once again to the Education Department.

Number of Schools in Tamil NaduS.NoDistrictsPrimary SchoolMiddle SchoolSenior Secondary SchoolHigher Secondary SchoolTotal

1Chennai6082302154441497

2Coimbatore17165292683512864

3Kadalur12174131381551923

4Dharmapuri912354951061467

5Dindigul12542881161441802

6Erode14893861612022238

7Kanchipuram13184522552622287

8Kaniyakumari5502011851841120

9Karur6761458565971

10Krishnagiri12063581471071818

11Maduri12923421842202038

12Nagapatinam882296113951386

13Namakal796210991561261

14Perambalur720231117961164

15Pudukottai12253651271091826

16Ramanathapuram100525585901435

17Salem14144071912032215

18Sivaganga9593121061061483

19Thanjavur12833271851571952

20Nilgiris5151817789862

21Theni42110810083712

22Thiruchirapalli12303661751751946

23Thirunelveli17414401602392580

24Thiruvallur14093812702452305

25Thiruvannamalai15324201831432278

26Thiruvarur78624784781195

27Thoothukudi11673271011421737

28Vellore20395432442443070

29Villupuram17405532091932695

30Virudhunagar1078217991471595

Total3418099384574503053722

The government high school with which we worked is located in Sethumadai village located 20 km from Pollachi. A completely cut- off village from the rest of the world has only one school for the entire location. The school was started in the year 1979 at a different location from the current anna nagar campus which had a total space of 5 rooms which was completely not enough to run a high school. Later in the year 2008 a land of 1 acre of donated to the school by the family of Kalaivani ammair in remembrance of their elder son. With the provided land the education department of govt of Tamil Nadu constructed a new building with an estimated amount of 1 core rupees. Ever since school has been maintained by the govt of Tamil Nadu for all its funding. The students in the school are provided with all the facilities like uniform, books, bag, every day mid-day meals all this for free of cost through various government schemes allocated for the education department of Tamil Nadu Govt. The family of Kalaivani ammair located in the village is one of the main reason for having a better school in a location that is so very cut- off from the regular city life. There is a total strength of 379 students in the school for the current academic year of 2014-15 with classes form class 6 to class 10. The students mostly belonging to the Scheduled cast and Scheduled tribes take it as a great effort to even come to the school regularly. The teachers in the school take a great effort in bringing the students to the school regularly to the school.

Though not academically greater achievements have been attained, the students are well versed in other co-curricular and extracurricular activities like sports, crafts, projects etc. The School currently has students with a district level Junior Kabaddi team, state level Sprinters etc., Arts and Crafts classes are conducted for students once in week with the students learn to make products like paper Jewellery, clay models, cloth embroidery all of which would help the students make some personal savings by selling the products for a good price.