While Vellore lags behind in the implementation of Illam Thedi Kalvi (ITK), education at the doorstep of students, the scheme is gaining traction in Tirupathur and Ranipet districts. Ranipet and Tirupathur have finished 77 per cent and 86 per cent of their targets respectively. Vellore, on the other hand, has finished 56 per cent of the work.
Around 3,201 ITK centres were started in Tirupathur, including 1,594 centres for primary students and 1,607 centres for upper primary students studying in Class VI to VIII, according to the district administration. Meanwhile, 529 centres are yet to be started.
A total number of 3,470 volunteers have been selected after tests and 3,336 have completed training. Each volunteer will train 20 students. Jolarpet and Natrampalli blocks have performed considerably well in implementing the scheme, as the blocks have set up more centres.
District Collector Amar Khushwaha told TNIE, "In the coming days, we will reach 100 per cent. At present, the availability of volunteers remains one of the key issues," he added.
Tirupathur has taken special efforts to take the scheme to the tribal students in the four hill regions, with 31 centres started at Naikaneri, 24 at Pudur Nadu, 46 at Kavalur and 24 at Yelagiri. Nearly 150 ITK centres are yet to begin in these areas.
Against the requirement of 3,400 centres, Ranipet district is setting up 3,600 centres. The district has 2,800 centres that are operational and another 200 will open in two days as the volunteers have completed training.
We started late, yet we caught up, Ranipet Collector D Baskara Pandiyan told TNIE. He further said, "Another 400 centres will be running in a week. There is no shortage of volunteers and we are shifting some of them to the other centres where there is a need. Illam Thedi Kalvi will reduce the mental stress of the students as being inside the home has made life difficult for them."
Vellore lags in implementing Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme. The district has 7,405 volunteers and 2,131 centres have been started. Vellore District Chief Education Officer (CEO) K Munusamy said, “Efforts are being taken to increase the number of volunteers. We are planning to conduct selection drives at colleges in the district and conduct orientation sessions to persuade the students."
K Munusamy added that a technical glitch in the registration portal is causing difficulties. Some of the volunteers registered in Katpadi were shown as registered in Ranipet district and others registered in Anaicut village panchayat are being shown in Madhanur, Tirupathur. Also, records of volunteers within the Vellore Corporation limits are shown as being registered in various districts. The issue has been taken up with the EMIS technical team, the CEO said.
Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme was introduced by the state government to compensate for the loss of education among children from Classes I to IX in government and government-aided schools. The schools have been shut down for nearly two years due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
