Have a knack for penning witty film reviews, bringing life to book characters on canvas or bagging first place at a state-level 100-metre dash? If you are a government school student in Tamil Nadu and excel in any of these categories, chances are the school education department will ferry you to countries abroad at the end of the academic year.
According to an official, this initiative aims to provide exposure to children, encourage extracurricular activities, and prepare students to pursue their goals. Funds for this will be provided under the integrated school education programme, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
This comes after the department announced in July that tours centered around world cinema would be arranged for children who write the best reflections about films screened in schools every month. Now, these trips are set to include students who produce the best content out of books or other mediums. In order to encourage reading habits among students, schools have been asked to hold a library period at least once a week. Within this time, they should be encouraged to produce content such as drawings, essays, or out-of-the-box art forms.
Three students from every government school across the state will participate in a block-level event and then, at the district level. Shortlisted students will take part in the state-level workshops, held once every term. Writers and activists will guide the students at the workshop.
A total of 25 students and a few teachers will then be taken abroad on the knowledge tour. The group would also include budding athletes who bag medals at Republic Day sports competitions. "This would include team games as well and the winning team will be taken on the tour," said the official, as per TNIE.
Meanwhile, another 25 students will be taken on an all-India tour to visit libraries. "Earlier, teachers were hesitant to allow students to borrow books as they would become responsible if the book was damaged. Now, the department will take care of replacing the book. Students can take one book a week and participate in the initiative," added the official.
