Govt-aided teachers urge for Ennum Ezhuthum similar to govt schools

CHENNAI: Like State government schools, teachers of government-aided schools have requested the education department for learning kits to implement Ennum Ezhuthum (literacy and numeracy) scheme for students of Classes 1 to 3.

To address the learning gap caused during the Covid lockdown, the State government launched Ennum Ezhuthum (EE) scheme for primary school students in all government and government aided schools. And, from January 2 till 4, the third term of EE training was held for over 1.21 lakh teachers across the State.

Additionally, to inculcate practical ways of learning, the education department also distributed several modules and kits for government primary schools in July and September, 2022. However, the government-aided school teachers, despite attending the training alongwith government teachers, were not given kits for their students.

Speaking to DT Next, a government-aided teacher in Nagapattinam said, "The department is commonly implementing the scheme for both schools. Additionally, the teachers also undergo training together. In such cases, why is there a bias in giving the kit to our students?"

"Government teachers shared that the kit is useful in taking classes and better understanding of concepts. Hence it is important that government-aided school students also get the same opportunity,” added the teacher.

The teacher further went on to urge that for better implementation of EE across all kinds of schools, they should be given without any bias.

Meanwhile, for subjects like Mathematics, English and Tamil, the kit includes flashcards, wooden alphabets and numbers, 3D shaped items, puzzles, dice and more. And, the government schools so far have received two sets of kits for the EE scheme.

Further, it is important to note that government-aided students were also not given welfare kits that include school bags, chappals and textbooks. And the ongoing arts and cultural festivals were also not held in aided schools of the State.

According to the department, there are 8,403 government-aided schools in TN with 28.44 lakh students studying in them. Hence, teachers have urged for these benefits to students.