Thiruvananthapuram: When Jimmy George Indoor Stadium and Aquatic Complex was opened to the public, the authorities, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, had promised a concession for school students, especially the ones in government schools.
The offer has not changed, however, regular swimmers here say that not many government school students have been making use of the offer.
In a letter sent to the Director, Asha G, a regular here, says, “This summer I went for a few weeks to swim and was surprised to see English-speaking children being brought in cars for the camp. In the past, most kids were Malayalam-speaking and came by bus or two- wheelers.”
There is no discount on coaching; it is a flat rate of Rs 750 for everyone, children or adults. However, the monthly charges are Rs 500 for government school students and Rs 1,000 for children in other schools.
For adults, the monthly charges are Rs 1,200. The monthly charge is Rs 1,000, for senior citizens. The hourly rates are Rs 80 for adults, and Rs 50 for senior citizens and children.
Director Sanjayan Kumar, when contacted by DC, said that there had been sufficient enquiries from children, but he was not sure about the percentage of government school students. When asked if the Directorate had informed all government schools about the offer, he said that they had slot limitations. Thirty students will be coached in each batch.
Coaching is imparted in three batches each, morning and evening. Classes for children had stopped after the summer vacation.
On August 1, it restarted. Sanjayan Kumar said that they would invite more children from government schools, if there was sufficient demand.
Women’s Timing
The women swimmers here had issues that the complex no longer offered ‘women’s timing’, a time when only the women would be allowed to swim. The Director said that this too had been restarted.
