The School Education Department of Tamil Nadu has launched an art festival to foster artistic talent in students with the mentality that classrooms shouldn’t just be places for instruction. Accordingly, Tamil Nadu government schools are currently hosting ‘Kalai Thiruvizha’ (art festival) that is open only to government school students of classes 6 to 12.
These events will begin at the school level and progress to the zone, district, and state levels. Students from various government schools are participating in these competitions and exhibiting their skills.
However, a video of girl school students dancing to a movie-like song released by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department makes one cringe with disgust, with some opposition party members criticizing school education Minister Anbil Mahesh for converting schools into an avenue for cinema.
The song for which the girl students dance includes verses such as “This is the Chief Minister’s dream plan,” comes across as MK Stalin using schoolchildren for self-promotion. Netizens and opposition leaders have condemned this cringe fest saying that having Udayanidhi Stalin fan club president Anbil Mahesh as the school education minister, incidents like is bound to occur, where school students are drive into cinema craze.
பள்ளி நடத்துகிறீர்களா ?
ரெட் ஜெயண்ட் படங்களுக்கு ஆள் எடுக்கிறீர்களா ? 😷 pic.twitter.com/CSBafI2Q0L— Raj Satyen (@satyenaiadmk) December 7, 2022
Tamil Nadu opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami slammed the Tamil Nadu School Education Minister for ignoring students’ needs and promoting his friend Udhayanidhi Stalin. A few weeks ago, he said, “14 types of equipment, including free uniforms, that were supposed to be distributed to government school students in the second week of the school opening have not been distributed. The Minister who is responsible is unconcerned about his department and should hang his head in shame for promoting an individual (Udhayanidhi).”
*பள்ளிக்கல்வித்துறை அமைச்சரா ? ரசிகர் மன்ற தலைவரா ?*
*அரசு பள்ளி மாணவ,மாணவியருக்கு பள்ளி திறந்த 2 வது வாரத்தில் கொடுக்கப்பட வேண்டிய இலவச சீருடை உட்பட 14 வகையான உபகரணங்கள் இதுவரை கொடுக்கப்படவில்லை.*
*பள்ளிக்கல்வித்துறை அமைச்சர் தன் துறையை கவனிக்காமல் தனி நபரின் ரசிகர் மன்ற pic.twitter.com/RQRuBJ69yA
— வாலாஜா கு.எழில்அரசன் குமரன் (@Ezilking) August 4, 2022
The DMK has been using children for the party’s propaganda and to promote its crown prince Udhayanidhi since it came to power. They even used schoolchildren to paste posters of Udhayanidhi, which was reported in the Tamil daily Dinamalar. This alleged incident of using school students to stick posters of Udhayanidhi occurred during his birthday celebrations in Palakkarai, Virudhachalam constituency of Cuddalore district, at Bazar street, Bus Terminals, and other areas.
During Udhayanidhi’s birthday celebration, a video of Minister of Minority Affairs Gingee Mastan was released, in which he was seen distributing money to school students who were taken for the crown prince’s birthday celebration.
செஞ்சியில் அமைச்சர் செஞ்சி மஸ்தான், உதயநிதி ஸ்டாலின் பிறந்தநாள் விழாவில் பணம் கொடுத்து பள்ளி மாணவர்களை அழைத்து சென்று பிறந்தநாள் கொண்டாட்டம்..
பள்ளி மாணவர்களுக்கு பணம் கொடுத்து அடிமையாக மாற்றும் திமுக..😡 pic.twitter.com/CY1po7H4aZ
— Latha (@Latha55152911) December 1, 2022
Members of Udhayanidhi’s fan club erected flex banners in front of the government boys’ high school in Bhavani to celebrate his birthday.
In another such incident, during Chief Minister MK Stalin’s visit to Thenkasi on December 8, schoolchildren were made to draw pictures of MK Stalin and his son Udhayanithi and then line up in front of him for display.
This is getting really sick school kids are made to draw the CM's picture and exhibit it before him, these idiots are going to turn TN into a North Korea and the CM instead of enquiring them about their studies is asking about his government's ratings.🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/ylbu4dWYT3
— Vishwatma 🇮🇳 (@HLKodo) December 9, 2022
DMK Spokesperson Abdul Hameed Sheik Mohamed alias Manushyaputhiran, who is known for his role as the sexologist in the porn film of “Vaazhvin Ragasiyam” that comes as part of the Tamil film “Super Deluxe”, was seen along with school students in uniform during a Udhayanidhi fan club celebrations.
என்னையா @Anbil_Mahesh இது;
ரசிகர் மன்ற நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் பள்ளி மாணவர்களை பயன்படுத்தி இருக்கிறீர்…!!#Resign_AnbilMahesh pic.twitter.com/gdRMZ6AABj— Kaniyampoondi Senthil (@Senthil_TNBJP) August 20, 2022
On October 15, the Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) filed a complaint with the NCPCR, seeking action against DMK MLA and film actor Udhayanithi for using school children for a protest against the Centre’s alleged ‘imposition of Hindi’ and the implementation of a national-level common entrance test.
It should be noted that, after being one of the top five states at level II in the Performance Grading Index (PGD) in 2019-20, Tamil Nadu has dropped to level three in 2020-21 due to poor scores in equity, infrastructure, and governance, with the overall score falling from 906 in 2019-20 to 855 in 2020-21.
If the use of schoolchildren for political propaganda and the promotion of film star Udhayanithi continues, Tamil Nadu students’ overall performance in academics will suffer.
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