CHENNAI: Education is the greatest equaliser, said our educationists of yore. A glimpse of the revised fee structure for schools, even at the kindergarten level in the State will shock you.The new fee structure, announced last week by the Private School Fee Determination Committee, comes as fodder for all discussions about the much talked about North Chennai-South Chennai divide in infrastructure. In the northern extreme of the city — Tondiarpet, the Chennai Port and Dock Educational Trust Higher Secondary School is allowed not more than Rs 1,250 as annual fees to be charged in KG classes. In the posh South Chennai region of Velachery, Sunshine Montessori School has been permitted a fee of Rs 24,000, 20 times higher than permitted. This is amount is higher than the permissible fee for even Class 11 and 12 for nearly all other city schools. The customised fee structure, prescribed by the Fee Fixation Committee, has allowed for these inequalities to exist, based on the facilities schools provide and the infrastructure they possess. In high-end schools, students are exposed to a world that transcends the chalk-and-talk methods of teaching and the rote method of learning. Improving grasping skills, motoring capabilities, interaction with peers, a strong extra-curricular focus and customised learning methods are emphasised by several of the new-age, swanky, costly kindergarten schools of today.The Montessori method of learning is a specialty in itself, asserts Aruna Gayatiri Somasundaram, principal of Sharanalaya Montessori School in Mahalingapuram. The school has been allowed a fee of Rs 14,950 for kindergarten, against the common Rs 3,000. “An elaborate play structure, including a jungle gym, has been developed for greater growth of children’s physical abilities. Customised ropes to enhance their gross motor skills by climbing on them have also been installed,” Somasundaram said and added that a love for nature is instilled early in children by making them maintain a garden on the school premises, whose upkeep is their responsibility.At the Kids Central Nursery and Primary School, Kotturpuram, learning is not a standardised process. “We respect the concept of multiple intelligences, and teach students in a way they understand the concept best. If story-telling works best for a child, she is taught that way. If another requires a practical experience, like a nature walk, that too, is arranged for. This calls for more adults to teach children,” pointed out Valli Subbiah, principal of the school.In yet another school in Egmore, Harrington House, which has been allowed `20,000 as fees, basic school education has always had a multi-disciplinary approach. The infrastructure is superior in comparison to other regular schools, says Mansoor Ahmed, chairman of the school, noting that every class comes with a toilet. Children are taught beyond academics, and there is one teacher for at least 15 students, he points out.Fee structure silences top schoolsEven as some small schools have expressed dissatisfaction over the fees allowed to them, several big schools maintained a stoic silence over the fee allotted and the same reasons. A senior official of the Bambino Educational Trust, which has been allowed `15,400 as annual fees for kindergarten classes could not explain what special infrastructure the school possessed to charge the amount. When this reporter spoke to her, the official went on counter-attack and asked the reporter if she would work for a low salary of Rs 5,000-10,000, refusing to divulge her name, designation or facilities available in school.The principal of a school in Kotturpuram politely declined to respond to these questions, saying that the management had decided against commenting on these issues as the fee structure had just been announced. The official said school has been allowed Rs 20,150 as annual fees in kindergarten.
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