Chennai: Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Rajmohan on Tuesday clarified that there would be no indirect attempts to implement the Prime Minister's Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme in the state. The minister's statement came a day after he indicated that the state government would assess whether the policies of PM SHRI align with Tamil Nadu's goals.
Minister Condemns Withholding of Funds
Elaborating on the issue, Rajmohan strongly criticized the Centre's practice of withholding funds due to the non-implementation of PM SHRI in Tamil Nadu. He stated, "These funds are meant for students, not government officials. Withholding funds is unacceptable. Tamil Nadu will not budge to such pressure."
Reiteration of Two-Language Policy
The minister also reaffirmed the state's steadfast position on the two-language policy, emphasizing that there is no room for ideological compromise. Drawing a parallel with Singaporean statesman Lee Kuan Yew, he remarked, "The TVK stands firm on the two-language policy of mother tongue and English. Even Lee Kuan Yew developed Singapore from scratch and used only English to reach out to the world."
Distribution of Training Materials
Earlier in the day, the minister distributed handbooks and teacher training materials for classes 1 to 3 to 200 state-level trainers. These trainers will travel to districts across the state to train primary teachers in teaching methodologies following the release of new textbooks.
Focus on Improving School Basics
On his first steps as School Education Minister, Rajmohan outlined plans to improve basic infrastructure in schools. "We will ensure that toilets are cleaned and well maintained in government schools, provide access to clean drinking water wherever it is lacking, and upgrade classroom infrastructure. Enrolments in government schools will also be reviewed. Government schools are high in number but low in student strength compared to private schools. This imbalance will be corrected," he added.
The minister also extended his best wishes to Class 10 state board students, whose results are scheduled to be declared on Wednesday.
