When M. K Stalin took over as Chief Minister in early May 2021 the impact of the COVID pandemic was acute in the school education sector. The schools were already closed for around 16 months and the severity of the learning gaps stared in the face of students, teachers and the school authorities. It was a source of deep anxiety for parents. The impact of the closure was  particularly acute and disempowering  for students from the government schools.  Learning through the online channels or through smartphones still excluded several children.

To design a response, the Tamil Nadu government turned to history’s lessons. One such was Arivoli Iyakkam, the adult literacy campaign launched in the 1990s . The campaign  was multipronged – it used empowered volunteers, street theatre with songs and powerful messaging, deep fieldwork and conversations and events in  informal spaces. This was bound together with a strong collaborative spirit between the various layers of the political leadership, the administration and civil society.

A field study  titled ‘Loss of Learning during the Pandemic’ by the Azim Premji University in January 2021 on the situation  in India said “The loss for the students involved both loss of curricular learning and ‘forgetting’- which has been described as –‘ abilities that children have forgotten due to lack of usage.”  The report highlighted the challenges of students  moving to more complex subjects once the schools opened without a  strong base and the long term impact of such regression.

Illam Thedi Kalvi (Education at the Doorstep) was launched  in 2021 with an aim to address the learning gaps. Once it went state wide in January 2022 , Illam Thedi Kalvi (ITK )  became the single largest post-pandemic educational outreach and remedial  programme in the country with close to two lakh volunteers . “ It was the largest supplementary instruction program for COVID learning loss recovery in India (providing supplementary instruction to 3.3 million students) and among the largest COVID education response initiatives globally that we are aware of.” says the Working Paper Series published By the National Bureau of Economic Research, USA.

The program addresses classes one to eight. The students, divided in two cohorts – classes one to five and classes six to eight, are taught a purpose-built curriculum  using activity based learning approach at a location close to their home after school hours from five pm to seven pm on a regular basis.

But the impact of ITK went beyond the remedial objective to become a crucial pillar of state ‘s holistic education initiative. This led the NBER report to suggest that ITK may be a template for other governments and “to ensure universal foundational numeracy and literacy, and reduce socio-economic gaps in learning even in non-pandemic recovery settings.”

Several parents reported that the children began to do their homework without being asked to, shared what happened at the ITK sessions and read books beyond the prescribed textbooks. Crucial to the success were four factors:  the  rigorous volunteer recruitment and training program involving headmasters and teachers  that led to a very low level of attrition, care in identifying and preparing the centres to ensure inclusion and safety , the teaching and learning materials provided by the school management committees, local elected representatives and civil society.

Initiatives like ITK are built upon other schemes of the Tamil Nadu government which are designed to democratise and empower its citizenry through education. The philosophical basis of the Chief Minister’s undivided attention on education is best captured in the words of philosopher Martha Nussbaum. In her book ‘Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice’ , she says,” Among the social and economic commitments of our societies, education and health are key, since citizens can hardly pursue other projects unless their capacities are developed by education and supported by an adequate network of healthcare. Societies pursue these commitments in many different ways. 

Education is a goal, but it is also an opportunity. When society makes a commitment to education, it makes a commitment as well to its own future stability, not just in economic matters, but also in pursuit of its political goals. Education will then be one of the main arenas in which the shaping of politically appropriate sympathy will take place, and in which inappropriate forms of hatred, disgust, and shame will be discouraged.”  

A singular strength of the state’s educational mission is that this philosophical basis is thoroughly understood; it has been absorbed with conviction,  and its core values have been handed down through the various actors in this sector over the years. Each new initiative is built on a fine, detailed analysis of earlier schemes; the interventions are evidence -based and  is designed to go beyond what was done earlier. Deliberate and thoughtfully crafted policies have been crucial to the  State’s success in education. 

A pathbreaking scheme introduced in 2010 was Samacheer Kalvi ( Equitable Education). It  integrated the various school educational systems within the state as a way to ensure quality education to all children without any discrimination based on their economic, social or cultural background. The new system of education was introduced for classes I and VI in the 2010 academic year.

Another significant effort is the  Ennum Ezhuthum Mission. Its goal is to ensure that all students of classes 1,2, and 3 in government schools in Tamil Nadu can read with comprehension and possess basic arithmetic skills by 2025. The School Education Department in its Policy Note  2023-24 says ,“To attain this goal, the Ennum Ezhuthum Pedagogy is level-based, student-centric, and designed so that learning outcomes are delivered in a customised, engaging manner with enriched learning materials such as singing, dancing, puppetry, and other activities..” 

Technology has always been used creatively  and effectively in each initiative of the state government. The policy note adds “ The (Ennum Ezhuthum) mission has created communication channels through regular interactions of the state level officials with all teachers on the Telegram group, voice messages to parents through phone, regular updates of programme activities on social media ...”  ITk or Ennum Elthum used exclusive mobile applications along with WhatsApp and Telegram for monitoring and timely communication within the group along with relevant Facebook and Instagram pages  for communication outside the group.

The government also realised that a key factor in the success, apart from the initiatives within schools, is the quality and range of information available to a student when it comes to making career decisions.  Simply put, they wanted to plug the gap when it came to exposure and mentorship as well. To address this the government launched  a very ambitious Career Guidance program in government  schools titled ‘ Naan Mudhalvan’ for classes 9-12. 

“Naan Mudhalvan platform aims to provide dynamic information for college students on courses and relevant information about industry specific skill offerings. This will enable the students of Tamil Nadu to get training in their chosen field of interest that will help them in achieving their career goals. Naan Mudhalvan showcases 2000+ institutes and consequent 300+ career pathways...” , says the information on the scheme.

A range of  corporates, institutions and stellar professionals were inspired to be empanelled on the program because of the credibility that the government was able to establish and through the ‘ public emotion’ that Nussbaum refers to when she says, “Public emotions rooted in love – in intense attachments to things outside our control – can foster commitment to shared goals.”

On a visit to the offices of the State Education Department,   the sense of purpose and the clarity of intent was palpable. “ The team has clarity on the transformative potential of the work they are engaged in. We  know how each scheme fits into the larger picture and we do not work in silos,” says a team leader.  

What marks Tamil Nadu’s initiatives in education is  an empathetic government that delivers cutting-edge strategies , provides continual improvements, creates innovative schemes  and empowers individuals who work for a better future for its children.