CHENNAI: An association for women empowerment has moved the Madras high court to direct the state government to announce 2021 as ‘zero academic year’.
Thamizhaga Pengal Iyakkam also wanted the court to direct the state to take rapid efforts to provide online access to government and aided schools by setting up digital arrangements in every street in rural areas and slums where economically and socially downtrodden people live.
Admitting the plea on Wednesday, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed the state to respond to the PIL in six weeks.
According to the petitioner, the government should have setup such facilities for children of marginalised people.
It should have monitored by one of the qualified persons from the same locality following lockdown restrictions and Covid-19 protocols.
“If such children are allowed to go away from their regular learning routine they will not come back to learn and study eventually becoming drop-outs, daily wage workers or even enter into illegal activities,” the petitioner said.
Parents of such children though they understand the value of the education due to their unemployment during the lockdown they would be in a position to make their children study regularly or to make them continue school, the petitioner added.
Declare 2021 ‘zero academic year’: PIL in Madras HC
