“The State Government is giving students everything from notebooks to uniforms, to make Tamil Nadu achieve 100 per cent literacy. All that parents have to do now is send their children to school,” said N.R. Sivapathy, Minister for School Education, at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Ashok Nagar, launching the State Government’s ‘free notebook scheme’ on Monday.
The scheme will cover students of government and government-aided schools from classes I to X. While students of classes I to VIII will receive the notebooks once each trimester, students of classes IX and X would receive them for the entire academic year. Outlining the distribution schedule, D. Sabitha, Secretary, School Education Department, said, “Students of classes IX and X will receive them by July 20. Students of classes I to VIII will receive the notebooks for the first trimester by August, second trimester by October and third trimester by January 2.”
The notebooks, she added, were designed innovatively with the back covers having information on how to save energy, and general knowledge, among other things. Students, she added, were given everything, including geometry boxes, colour pencils, and cycles for girls.
The Minister said the scheme, started at a cost of Rs. 106.436 crore, would benefit 81,02,128 students across the State.
A Government Order in this regard was issued by the School Education Department.
