Volunteers of Tamil Nadu's flagship Illam Thedi Kalvi (ITK) scheme have urged the School Education Department in Coimbatore to ensure an honorarium of Rs 1,000 to them every month so that their daily expenses can be managed.
A volunteer in the Madukkari block said, "Without the expectation of an honorarium, volunteers are teaching students keeping their education and well-being in mind. Government said that an honorarium will be given to volunteers every month and that this will help manage the daily expenses."
ITK was launched in Coimbatore on January 3. An official from the district School Education Department pointed out that it has only been two weeks that the volunteers have been taking classes. The official said, "When we update the volunteers' bank details, the honorarium would be credited their bank account automatically."
The scheme aims to provide quality education at the doorsteps of the students and was announced in the state, in late October by Chief Minister MK Stalin, to fill in the learning gap — caused by the COVID-induced lockdowns — amongst government school pupils, particularly the ones in primary and middle school. ITK was subsequently implemented in twelve districts before it was launched in Chennai in December.
The district official sources told The New Indian Express, "Volunteers have been teaching children at a common place in the evening time. Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs) are collecting the bank details of all the volunteers to credit the honorarium every month. But, this work is yet to start in many habitations due to the lethargic.(sic)"
