Tamil Nadu Government announced a series of measures proposed to be implemented at a cost of INR 862.30 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,' 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.
The minister said teachers grant of INR 500 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 INR 46 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 % in 2005-2006 to 1.23 % in 2007-08 and at the upper primary level it decreased from 4.08 % in 2005-06 to 1.90 % 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.
