Tambaram (Tamil Nadu): Information Technology Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna recently said that, “Tamil Nadu’s state government is the only state government of any state in India to give much importance to school education.”

Speaking at the prize distribution function of ‘Talhunt,’ a month-long inter-school talent hunt programme by Cognizant at its facility in Siruseri IT Park, off Rajiv Gandhi Salai, she said 20 percent of the government’s funds was spent on school education.

The School Education Department has been allotted Rs.7500 crore this year said Ms. Poongothai. She made it a point to clear that the IT sector did not necessarily belong to the convent educated lot as almost 71% of the youth passing out of the schools belonged to the government schools and many of them were a part of the sector.