Tamil Nadu announces school education schemes worth Rs862.30crore

Tamil Nadu Government today announced a series of measures proposed to be implemented at a cost of Rs862.30 crore on school education front during 2009-10. Replying to demands of school education in the assembly, minister for School Education, Thangam Thennarasu, said, " The cost will incur important activities such as civil works, grants, enrolling out-of-school children, inclusive education for the disabled, in-service training, innovative activities and community training,"  "Enhancing Kasthurba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya scheme would also be inlcuded in this proposal," he added.
   
He said 66,896 out-of-school children would be enrolled and mainstreamed through various interventions such as residential and non-residential bridge courses, summer camps and special residential bridge courses. He also informed that around 1.18 lakh disabled children would be covered under inclusive education for disabled scheme. "Assistive devices will be supplied to 19,477 chidren. As many as 45,495 teachers and special teachers will be trained," he added.

On the grants, Thennarasu said, "Teaching Learning Equipment (TLE) grant of Rs 20,000 would be given to each to five new primary schools, TLE grant of Rs 50,000 each to 831 newly upgraded middle schools, maintanence grant of Rs7,500 to 35,236 schools, school grant of Rs5,000 and Rs7,000 would be given to 37,792 schools and 15,050 schools respectively."
   
The minister said teachers grant of Rs500 would be given to 2,09,918 teachers working in primary and upper primary schools. He also said around two lakh teachers would be covered under in-service training. As many as 831 primary schools would be converted into middle schools. The state government would be spending Rs46 crore for the purchase of desks and benches for sixth, seventh and eighth standard students.
   
Giving details about the improvement in educational indicators, he said that at primary level, the droupout rate had been reduced from 1.91 per cent in 2005-2006 to 1.23 per cent in 2007-08 and at the upper primary level it decreased from 4.08 per cent in 2005-06 to 1.90 per cent in 2007-08.
  
He said that the teachers recruitment board was taking action to recruit 5,773 secondary grade teachers for elementary education department. On EDUSAT programme, the minister said that it had been proposed to give 30 interactive EDUSAT programmes for 600 teachers in 2009-10.