The National Coalition on the Education Emergency (NCEE), a collective of organisations and individuals working to study and address the impact of COVID-19 on education, has appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to convene a national-level meeting to discuss the “deepening inequalities in the education system” in the country.
In a letter, the NCEE said it wanted the Tamil Nadu government to spearhead the discussion as it had already launched such pioneering initiatives as ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’ and ‘Ennum Ezhuthum’ to address the pandemic’s impact on education.
Pandemic’s impact
The NCEE said the pandemic’s had devastated the education system by deepening the inequalities in the system. The impact would be felt in the years to come unless comprehensive and sustained efforts were made. It said that while some States like Tamil Nadu had launched initiatives to address this problem, many were yet to figure out what should be done. The experience of Tamil Nadu must be shared with others in the spirit of cooperative federalism.
The NCEE said a national-level meeting could involve political leaders, experts and other stakeholders. A series of meetings could also be organised at different levels with the participation of Education Ministers, Secretaries and other officials. Pointing to Mr. Stalin’s commitment to social justice, The NCEE appealed to him to consider organising such a meeting to ensure education for every child.
