Tamil Nadu has shown that government can be corruption-free, says J.C.D. Prabhakar

Many were doubtful whether a government could function without corruption, but Tamil Nadu has shown that it can, thanks to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, said Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar at the School Voice Educational Conference on Saturday in Chennai.

Highlighting the telecast of Assembly proceedings he said: “The live telecast of Assembly proceedings has created an awareness among the youth on being a part of the government,” he said. The conference, organised by the School Voice Association and YMCA Madras, honoured at least 500 teachers and principals of private schools for their work in the field. As many as 450 schools received the School Voice Iconic Edu Excellence Award-2026, six educationists in Tamil Nadu received the Global Edu Excellence Award, and 26 educationists received the School Voice Award of Excellence.

Association’s demands

The association also submitted 11 demands to the government urging them to enact a law to protect teachers, school staff, and school buildings. They also stressed the need for a single-window system to reduce administrative burden, noting that various applications such as admissions under the Right to Education Act, Education Management Information System (EMIS), and compliance-related requirements become integrated, so teachers could focus on academic work.

Further they urged that standardised assessments be introduced for Classes 3,5 and 8 to evaluate learning outcomes for targeted intervention and further to implement a 75% attendance requirement in Classes 9,10,11 and 12 to attend board exams to ensure proper learning.

They also demanded that parent-school collaboration, student safety and digital awareness need to be strengthened among others.

Director of Private Schools S. Suganya, SVA president M.J. Martin Kennedy, SVA general secretary John Arokia Prabhu, CEO and general secretary of YMCA Madras Asir Pandian and other members of the association were also present.