State quiz: Rs 9.22 crore to be spent for A4 sheets

CHENNAI: A circular by the School Education Department stated that Rs 9.22 crore will be released for A4 size paper purchase for conducting quiz competitions at government and aided schools across Tamil Nadu.

Through the assessment cell, the education department is to conduct quiz competitions for students between classes 6 and 12, at all government and aided middle, high and higher secondary schools of the state. For this, A4 sheet papers are required to print question papers - both class-wise and school-wise - based on the number of students present in the Educational Management Information System (EMIS) portal.

Hence, after taking into account the number of schools, the department has sanctioned funds of Rs 9.22 crore overall. And, requested the respective district Chief Education Officer (CEO) to release the funds school-wise.

As per the circular, districts like Salem and Thiruvannamalai have the highest fund allocation of Rs 54.13 lakh and Rs 49.41 lakh respectively. And, the funds allocated for Chennai is 36.46 lakh.

An education department spokesperson noted that as schools in northern TN have higher numbers of schools, they have more fund allocation. “With over 37,000 government and aided schools in TN, each school is spending below Rs 1,500 for the paper. Hence, it is not a huge amount,” he added,

Commenting on this, a higher official with the education department said, “Previously, we asked the students to bring papers for the competition. However, this year, we decided to provide it from the department’s end as we had the required funds for the purchase of papers.”

Further, the official noted that there are a few government schools with a shortage of funds to purchase papers, thus enabling the department to take responsibility. “In the meeting with teachers, it was pointed out that few schools are facing difficulty purchasing papers, from everyday office work to other needs. Hence, the circular of funds allotment was issued,” added the official.