Number of CBSE schools in TN doubles in 5 years

The number of CBSE schools in Tamil Nadu has more than doubled in the last five years. In 2010, around 250 schools from the state were registered with the Central Board of Secondary Education, a number that has now touched 580. A senior CBSE official in Chennai said applications for affiliation to the board peaked in the last two years. The official said that, in 2013 and 2014, we gave affiliation to nearly 150 schools across Tamil Nadu. Chennai and Coimbatore have the most CBSE schools in the state. The two cities account for more than one third of the schools. Chennai has around 100 CBSE schools, while there are close to 80 in and around Coimbatore.

In 2010 and 2011, many parents withdrew children from matriculation schools. This made schools to switch over CBSE. The state government later passed an order saying matriculation schools could not close, but could start a parallel CBSE institution. So, private school managements across the state started CBSE branches.

Another reason for the mushrooming CBSE schools in the state is the combined IIT-JEE programmes that they offer. Apart from IITJEE training, CBSE schools equip students who want to study outside Tamil Nadu and for competitive exams. The Samacheer Kalvi syllabus and the examination methodology made more number of CBSE schools in Tamil Nadu.