Chennai, July 12 (IANS) Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is set to hold the TVK flagship Education Awards programme, with the party preparing to honour district toppers in the Class 10 and Class 12 State Board examinations at a grand function expected to be held in Chennai later this month or in the first week of August.

The event will mark the first edition of the Education Awards after Vijay assumed office as Chief Minister, giving added significance to an initiative that began years before his formal entry into electoral politics.

While the awards will continue to be organised under the banner of the TVK, this will be the first time that the recipients will be felicitated by Vijay in his capacity as the head of the state government.

According to senior party leaders, preparations for the programme are in the final stages. District secretaries have been instructed to identify eligible students, establish contact with their families and coordinate their travel to Chennai.

Parents of the awardees will also be invited to attend the function. Although the final date is yet to be announced, party sources said the ceremony is likely to take place during the last week of July or the first week of August.

As in the previous edition, the event is expected to be held at a private hotel in Mahabalipuram in a single-phase programme bringing together students from across Tamil Nadu.

TVK launched the Education Awards in 2023 as a statewide initiative to recognise academic excellence among government and private school students. Under the programme, Vijay personally presented awards to the top three scorers in Classes 10 and 12 from every Assembly constituency.

The event quickly evolved into one of the party’s most prominent public outreach programmes, drawing thousands of students and their families each year.

Following TVK’s victory in the Assembly election and the formation of the new government, the absence of an announcement regarding this year’s awards had led to speculation on social media over whether the initiative would continue. Party leaders, however, maintained that the programme had never been discontinued and that logistical planning was underway after the completion of the examination process.

Party sources clarified that, despite Vijay now serving as Chief Minister, the awards would remain a TVK initiative. The gold medals, certificates and other honours will be presented by the party and not by the state government, reinforcing the programme’s identity as a long-standing educational outreach initiative of the organisation.

–IANS

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