Chennai : 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 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. 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. The release of the policy comes amid tensions between the state and the Centre over funding. Tamil Nadu alleges that the Centre has withheld Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha scheme over its refusal to implement NEP.
Stalin alleged that the Centre is trying to impose a scheme similar to the controversial ‘Kula Kalvi’ scheme, which was opposed by Periyar and later dropped. He also praised Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for rejecting the NEP and the three-language policy, even when faced with a threat of losing central funds. The state government has filed a plea in the Supreme Court over ₹2,200 crore in withheld central funds, which it claims are being unlawfully tied to its refusal to implement the NEP.
