CUDDALORE: The School Education Department under the Directorate of Non-formal and Adult Education has invited private teachers and trainers to work at training classes, initiated for uneducated adults aged between 15 and 35 years, without salary or stipend.
However, the volunteers willing to take part in the scheme urged the government to provide salary as they are burdened with financial constraints due to severe unemployment during the pandemic. The Non-formal and Adult Education scheme is a welfare scheme with the School Education Department to boost the literacy rate in the district and in the State overall.
As per the Government Order accessed by TNIE -- the scheme will function with 60 percent funds from the Centre and 40 percent from the State government. Additionally, the scheme will operate with the 2011 census date and only with volunteers conducting training at government schools with the involvement of School Management Committee (SMC) and Parents-Teachers Association (PTA). The training is set to begin in November and go on till February 2021.
As far as Cuddalore district is concerned, the Non-formal and Adult Education scheme has been handed over to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) by the district education department. The officials are given a deadline of November 16 to submit the list of volunteers and illiteracy rate in the district. But, the officials are struggling to garner volunteers as many are unwilling to work without pay.
Speaking to TNIE, an education dept officer said, “Due to the pandemic resulting in unemployment and financial crisis, people are hesitating to participate. If the government can provide a minimum wage of `7,000, many will take part.” “If there are no volunteers, the government teachers might be added to the volunteers name list. But that will only deviate them from their actual jobs.
“Hence, it is only fair that a certain amount of pay is given. Also, the GO clearly mentions that Centre and State governments are sponsoring for the scheme,” added the officer. Meanwhile when TNIE checked the features of the scheme, it found that a substantive portion of the budget provision for Non-formal and Adult Education has been allocated for salary, honorarium paid for project coordinators, teachers, volunteer instructors and master trainers. Commenting on this, the Chief Educational Officer said, “We have forwarded the GO that we have been provided. If any changes need to be done, it has to be amended first at the Centre.”