CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday (July 16) directed ministers and senior officials to ensure there was no corruption, administrative irregularities, unruly behaviour in government schools or the making of social media reels during official duties, while chairing the Tamil Nadu Cabinet meeting, according to a Thanthi TV report.
The Chief Minister's remarks come amid recent criticism a reel showing Industries Minister S Keerthana, whose interaction with a government school student during an inspection in Virudhunagar drew objections from child rights activists.
In the viral video, Minister Keerthana asks a student, “What’s your father?”, and the child remains silent. Keerthana turns to the teacher and says the child is unable to answer even a simple question. When the question is repeated, the student responds by stating her father's name. The teacher then rephrases the question as what is her “father’s profession”, following which the student answers correctly.
The video drew widespread criticism, with DMK MP Rajathi (Salma) writing to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) seeking action against Keerthana, alleging that her government school “inspection” publicly humiliated a minor student and disclosed the child’s identity without authorisation.
Responding to the criticism, the minister later said on X that she herself had studied in a Tamil-medium government school. "Those who mock my English today are not just mocking me - they are mocking government school students like me and the lakhs of children studying in the Tamil medium."