Tamil Nadu BJP State President K. Annamalai has accused the DMK government of deliberately weakening government schools to benefit private institutions.In a statement, Annamalai pointed to a recent incident in Tirupattur, where a government school teacher was accused of assaulting a Class 7 girl student. He alleged that sexual harassment cases against schoolgirls in Tamil Nadu have become a recurring issue, yet the DMK government has taken no effective steps to prevent such crimes.
Annamalai recalled that in 2015, the Madras High Court had ordered the establishment of psychological counseling centers in schools. Following this directive, the then AIADMK government had introduced mobile counseling centers for every three districts.
However, after the DMK came to power, Annamalai claimed that this initiative was discontinued, and government vehicles allocated for the program were left unused and abandoned.
Despite an annual budget allocation of over ₹40,000 crore for school education, sexual crimes and other issues are reportedly higher in government schools, raising concerns about how the DMK government and the School Education Minister handle students from economically weaker backgrounds.
Annamalai demanded that psychological counseling centers be reinstated in all schools as per the High Court’s directive. He emphasized the need for qualified psychological counselors to be appointed in schools to identify and address students’ problems at an early stage.
He also criticized the School Education Minister, accusing him of focusing more on publicity rather than addressing the real issues affecting government school students. Annamalai questioned the moral right of the minister to continue in his position when student safety was at stake.
“The DMK’s ultimate goal seems to be the complete collapse of government schools to push students towards private institutions,” he alleged. He urged the government to act immediately to protect students’ welfare and ensure a quality education system.