Identity crisis among schoolchildren has a whole new meaning in a school in Tamil Nadu that claims a unique record. It says it houses the maximum number of twins.

The century-old Hindu Nadar Victoria School at Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district says it has 56 pairs of twins studying there.

Topping it are three twins who teach there!

Headmaster Albert J Selvaraj claims the school has broken the world record for the largest number of twins in a school held by St Louis Marshal School at Brooklyn in the USA.

He says the school has also undertaken a detailed study of the twins after realising that the school is a "hub of twins".

"We are studying the problems of the twins as well as the problems caused by them due to identical features.

"Their family backgrounds, their likes and dislikes and educational performance are being analysed to develop a programme for their progress in life", the head master told PTI.

"Of course, we have just now started the study and we have to go deep into it. But as of now, there are many interesting revelations. Many twins want to study in the same class and do not want to be separated. And, twins are more friendly and attached to each other than brothers born at different times."

According to a teacher, there are 29 male twins, 12 female twins and 18 mixed twins in the school. Teachers Jeya Femila Singh and W Ezhil Arasu say the common pattern that emerged from the study of their progress reports was that the mental calibre of the twins was almost same. But in physical strength, the elder of the two was stronger in 90 per cent cases.

"We will use our study to counsel parents on how to deal with their wards and overcome the problem of pursuing their higher studies and give them solutions for various hurdles that they may face," they said.

The initial advice given to parents is that they should not be partial towards one baby. If the parents are impartial, children perform well, it was found.

Though that might be the case with all children, in the case of twins the expectations are more from the parents, say Singh and Arasu.

The teachers also say that looking after the twins and teaching was easier when they grow up than when they are in the nursery. It is a bit tough to deal with twins of same attitude, likes and dislikes when they are babies but as they grow up, they show maturity," a teacher said.

In the future, the school will screen identical twins for fingerprint variations for Situs Inversus (Mirror twins with inverted visceral organs, a rare condition which results in medical complications).

The school has now started maintaining a detailed register about the twins," the teacher said. It is not only the students. Even the performance of the teachers, who are twins, is almost same.