CHENNAI: The most debilitating impact of the pandemic has been on children and their learning patterns — schools were shut and the bubbling souls were cloistered at home. The pandemic also drove a wedge between the rich and poor, with indigent children finding their education coming to a stop as they had little or no access to the Internet or computers.
The DMK government, which assumed power at a critical juncture, had the onerous task of putting school education back on track. The rich-poor divide had to be narrowed with tools of inclusion and the physical schooling ecosystem refurbished as the pandemic’s third wave was waning fast.
The new government answered the challenge with ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi,’ a scheme to turn students’ doorsteps into classrooms. Over 30 lakh students have benefited from this. Besides, to retain students, the government also focused on improving infrastructure in State-run schools and has planned to build 18,000 classrooms and set up smart classrooms in primary schools. About Rs 7,000 crore will be spent on this over the next five years.