CHENNAI: Pallikalvi Pathukaapu Iyakkam, a non-governmental organisation working to strengthen public school education, has urged the political parties contesting the upcoming Assembly elections to announce comprehensive measures to improve school education, including increasing the allocation for the sector to 10% of the Gross State Domestic Product.
The movement also called for the appointment of one teacher per class and subject, along with restoring the earlier norm of one teacher for every 20 students. In addition, it stressed the need to appoint full-time teachers for physical education, life skills, arts and computer science.
Further, the organisation urged the government to create a system where no school charges fees by bringing private schools under the government-aided framework. “School catchment areas should be clearly defined to ensure equitable student enrolment,” it said.
The NGO also recommended the introduction of pre-primary education in all primary and middle schools to ensure access near students’ homes. It said Tamil should be made a compulsory subject in all schools, with the option to study in the Tamil medium available across institutions. Schools should provide life skills education, including civic awareness, sex education, and anti-drug awareness, while also improving hygiene and safety infrastructure, it said.
Also, the NGO called for measures to ensure equitable access to quality education. It suggested that reservations for government school students, including the existing 7.5% quota, be aligned proportionately with their population. Welfare measures such as uniforms and mid-day meal scheme should be extended up to Class 12, their demands said.