Govt-aided schools skipped from CM breakfast scheme
Of the nearly 8,000 government-aided schools in the State, there are over 5,000 government-aided primary/middle schools in TN. Hence, expanding it further is not likely to incur more expenditure, argue teachers.
Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin shares meal with school students at Nagapattinam. (ANI)
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government that expanded the Chief Minister's breakfast scheme on Friday was lauded for its initiative that will now feed 17 lakh primary school students in 31,000 government schools of the State. But, the government-aided schools have been skipped yet again like the slew of schemes implemented only for government schools.
Owing to this, several aided teachers and members of the government-aided teachers association have urged the TN government to expand the scheme to aid primary students as well.
Speaking to DT NEXT, K Santhakumar, a teacher at a government-aided middle school in Chennai said, "We welcome and appreciate the government's decision to implement and expand the breakfast scheme to all primary students in the State-run schools. Amidst, the reeling shortage of funds by the government, it is commendable of the government to prioritise this particular scheme."
However, Santhakumar, also a TN joint-secretary of aided teachers welfare association goes on to say that the scheme will only be whole if it's expanded to government-aided students too.
Read: Ministers inaugurate expansion of breakfast scheme at Chennai schools
Of the nearly 8,000 government-aided schools in the State, there are over 5,000 government-aided primary/middle schools in TN. Hence, expanding it further is not likely to incur more expenditure, argue teachers.
"Government-aided schools have been dropped from plenty of welfare schemes from 7.5 percent reservation in medical seats to welfare grants, in the name of added expenditure. However, the government should relax this notion in the case of the breakfast scheme and should expand it to aided schools," pointed out an aided teacher in Thiruvallur district.
Furthermore, K Balashunmugam, an aided teacher in Nagapattinam said, "As there is a mid-day meal scheme already operating in aided schools, by showing a similar importance, the government should expand the breakfast scheme to primary/middle aided schools too."