AMMK leader slams Tamil Nadu govt over school funding burden

An AMMK leader has criticized the Tamil Nadu government for reportedly directing headmasters of government and government-aided schools to bear the costs of launching an expanded breakfast scheme. The scheme, which aims to extend the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast initiative, is scheduled for rollout on September 17.

According to reports, school administrators have been instructed to fund the programme launch themselves, a move the opposition leader characterized as an undeclared form of cost-cutting at the grassroots level. The directive has raised concerns about the financial burden being placed on educational institutions already stretched for resources.

The AMMK leader has called on the state government to reverse the decision, arguing that welfare scheme expansion should be funded through official budgetary allocations rather than passed down to school management. The controversy highlights tensions between state-level policy decisions and their implementation at the institutional level.

The breakfast scheme has been a flagship welfare programme in Tamil Nadu, aimed at improving nutrition and school attendance among children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The planned expansion represents a significant extension of the initiative across more schools in the state.