Chennai, Feb 13 (IANS): Tamil Nadu BJP State President K. Annamalai alleged on Thursday that State School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh mismanaged Rs 1,050 crore allocated by the Central Government for the Samagra Shiksha scheme.
In a statement, Annamalai claimed that the scheme, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018-19, aims to provide equitable and quality education to all children.
He said despite receiving substantial central funding, the Tamil Nadu government has "failed" to implement the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) curriculum as a separate subject in schools.
Annamalai said, "The Central Government earmarked Rs 6.40 lakh for capital expenditure, Rs 15,000 for teachers' salaries, and Rs 2.50 lakh for other expenses to establish ICT labs in schools."
The BJP leader, a former IPS officer-turned-politician, contended that unlike other states such as Delhi, Telangana, and Rajasthan, where ICT has been incorporated as a distinct subject from Class VI onwards, Tamil Nadu has merely subsumed it within the science curriculum. He argued that this undermines the scheme's primary objective of nurturing ICT skills in students from an early age.
Furthermore, Annamalai questioned the recruitment of volunteers from the 'Illam Thedi Kalvi' scheme as ICT instructors, citing their lack of formal educational qualifications in computer science. He asserted: "This move violates the Supreme Court's 2008 guideline that computer science teachers must possess a B.Ed. degree."
Annamalai demanded that Education Minister Mahesh provide a detailed account of the expenditures, specifying the number of schools with functional ICT labs and explaining the rationale behind integrating ICT into the science curriculum.
"The people of Tamil Nadu deserve transparency and accountability in the utilisation of funds meant for education," he emphasised.
The BJP leader further stated, "We urge the Minister to clarify these discrepancies and ensure that the Samagra Shiksha scheme is implemented in its true spirit."
On February 9, Annamalai also accused Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of "spreading a lie" regarding the allocation of funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, the BJP leader claimed, "Tamil Nadu has lost its sheen and is at the bottom of the table in numeracy and basic language proficiency (Tamil)."
He criticised the Chief Minister and his administration, stating, "Stalin and his coterie should be ashamed of bringing down the quality of education, politicising the education system, and depriving the children of Tamil Nadu of equal opportunities and world-class education."