Chennai: Thirukkural couplets, riddles, and inspirational quotes will soon become a regular feature in the morning assemblies of more than 3,000 government schools across Tamil Nadu, thanks to an initiative by a group of dedicated teachers. The required content has been provided free of cost to students in a 210-page guidebook designed by teachers associated with 'Online Kalvi Radio'—a free digital platform that houses over 8 lakh audio files contributed by students, covering lessons, stories, poems, and more.
Enhancing Student Engagement
“An assembly is the first activity for students every day, and it must be made engaging. Usually, teachers and students participating in the assembly do not have time to prepare in advance. To assist them, our guidebook contains content for 210 days of the academic year,” explained A Karthick Raja, a government school teacher from Cuddalore who led the initiative.
Developing Reading Skills
Teachers believe the guidebook, which includes general knowledge questions and abbreviations alongside the couplets, will help sharpen students' reading abilities. “It will help students improve their reading skills as they won't just memorize proverbs or Thirukkural couplets. Teachers can also maintain a log of students who take part in the assembly to track their participation in extracurricular activities,” said R Bhavani, a government school teacher from Red Hills.
Distribution and Support
The guidebooks have been distributed by the non-profit organization Kalvi Kan Thirantha Kamarajar Foundation. So far, ₹2 lakh has been spent on this initiative. School education department officials have welcomed the idea and indicated that it could be expanded to more schools.
“Many schools already involve students in activities like news-reading and reciting short moral stories during the assembly. General knowledge questions are a welcome addition. We also welcome suggestions and ideas from anyone to make these activities more engaging,” said Chennai chief education officer M Kabir.
