Tamil Nadu govt unveils State Education Policy
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday unveiled the State Education Policy (SEP) at the Anna Centenary Library Auditorium in Kotturpuram, positioning it as a clear alternative to the Centre’s National Education Policy (NEP).
A 14-member committee headed by retired Justice Murugesan was constituted in 2022 to draft the new policy. The panel submitted its recommendations to the Chief Minister in July last year, and the document has now been formally released.
The SEP will retain the state’s two-language policy, rejecting NEP’s three-language formula, and recommend undergraduate admissions for arts and science courses based on consolidated marks from Classes 11 and 12 instead of a common entrance exam, as per sources.
It also pushes back against NEP’s proposal for public exams in Classes 3, 5 and 8, calling it regressive, anti–social justice, and a potential cause for higher dropout rates and commercialisation of education.
The committee has proposed a big push for science, artificial intelligence, and English, along with substantial investment in state-run institutions. It has also recommended bringing education back under the state list from the concurrent list.
Tamil Nadu Education Minister Anbil Mahesh said, “Till 10th standard, across all boards, including CBSE, ICSE, and the State board, students will study Tamil. We are dead against the three-language policy in NEP.” He also said the policy is “one year’s work of the committee” and “not borrowed from any other state.”