Chennai, Oct 29 (IANS): The Illam Thedi Kalvi (Education at doorstep) scheme of the Tamil Nadu government will ensure that one lakh students are enrolled in government schools in the current academic year.

The scheme is the brainchild of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The scheme which is envisaged to set right the learning losses and psychological issues of the students during the pandemic will have volunteers of the state education department reaching the doorsteps of students.

According to the information available from the education department, already 86,550 people have registered to serve as volunteers to teach children under this scheme.

A total of 67,961 women, 18,557 men, and 32 trans people have enrolled for the scheme to act as volunteers and teach the children. These volunteers will be selected by the school management committees directly based on their educational qualification and their place of residence and experience.

There has been vehement criticism from certain social groups and some political parties that the Tamil Nadu government was trying to bring in the National Education Policy through the backdoor by announcing the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme.

However, Stalin in a statement on Thursday allayed the fears of the critics and said that the state is evolving a state education policy after taking into consideration the recommendations from senior educationists. He said that the scheme would improve school education in the state and the volunteers will act as goodwill messengers of government schools.

The statement said that the scheme was designed based on inputs from educationists, UNESCO, and members of the Economic Advisory Council of the state government.