Kannagi Nagar Free Tuition Centres Help Over 500 Students Stay in School

More than 25 free tuition centres operating across Kannagi Nagar are working to prevent school dropouts and improve educational access for neighbourhood children, local trust founders reported on Wednesday. Run by non-governmental organisations including the Vidiyal Sudar Trust and Turning Point, the centres provide academic support and extracurricular training to hundreds of students, many of whom are first-generation learners.

Inside one of the centres, housed in a modest blue shed equipped with a blackboard, plastic chairs, and toys, co-founder and teacher Vimal Raj conducts daily classes for neighbourhood children of different age groups. Vimal Raj founded the initiative through the Vidiyal Sudar Trust based on his personal experience of struggling with studies and being unable to afford extra classes during his childhood.

Beyond basic academic coaching, the centres have become safe community spaces where children gather after school hours. Vidiyal Sudar Trust co-founder S Ashamalini stated that the facilities have helped reduce the risk of children falling into negative habits while roaming around after school. She noted that students now regularly visit the centres even on Sundays to meet their friends and play.

The trust's work extends outside the classroom to actively address school dropouts caused by family problems and peer pressure. Whenever a child stops attending school, Vimal Raj visits their home to speak with the parents and, in certain cases, coordinates directly with local police personnel to secure the child's readmission into school.

In addition to academic coaching, the centres offer free coaching in silambam, yoga, and kabaddi, with several neighbourhood children going on to represent the region at the national level in kabaddi. Another organisation, Turning Point, has expanded from 18 students to around 500 children across four centres over two decades, supported by a network of 30 to 40 volunteers.

Praveen Kumar S, chief coordinator of Turning Point, explained that the centres currently work to counter changing attitudes toward education, as several students feel drawn toward gig and delivery work influenced by social media content. Organisers continue to conduct awareness programmes highlighting the long-term importance of formal schooling alongside sports and career development.