In Tamil Nadu, around 1.31 lakh students have enrolled in Class I at government schools across the state this year, informed the School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

The New Indian Express reported that he was speaking to the reporters after distributing free educational kits to the students at a government school in Chennai as the state board schools across Tamil Nadu reopened on Monday, June 12, after the summer holidays.

"Students from other schools can shift to government schools till August. We will know the total count of government school students only then. Earlier, there used to be a delay of more than six months in the distribution of free educational kits. We are planning to complete the distribution within July this year," said the minister.

He added that all the headmasters in the government schools have been asked to ensure that there are proper water and toilet facilities in the schools.

Moreover, the minister further said that a decision on Class XI examinations will be taken after the state education policy high-level committee submits its report.

"At present, the existing system will continue and we don't want to confuse the students," he said.

Anbil Mahesh also said it is not possible to clear the backlog in the appointment of teachers immediately as it has been accumulated since 2013, TNIE added.