The panel established to draft the State Education Policy (SEP) of Tamil Nadu has suggested several reforms to improve early childhood care, organize preschool education, limit funding to private schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, and either ban or regulate private coaching centres—all aimed at preventing the commercialization of education. The panel, led by retired Madras High Court judge D. Murugesan, submitted its report to Chief Minister MK Stalin on July 1st.
In its report, the panel recommended against enrolling children in private schools under the 25% RTE quota and suggested reducing the funds provided to these private schools to a bare minimum. The committee stated that the government should consider providing financial aid under the RTE Act only to unaided non-minority private schools in remote areas, such as hills, where there are no government primary schools.
The panel has also recommended that education should be conducted in Tamil medium from primary to university levels. Additionally, the report suggests establishing a dedicated research wing focused on teaching and learning Tamil. Aligned with the state’s focus on social justice, the committee recommended developing a curriculum that fosters sociocultural, economic, ecological, and technological transformation, rooted deeply in social equity and justice. It emphasized that the curriculum should address societal inequalities and strive for equality. To achieve the social goal of eradicating caste, the curriculum must address this societal issue. The report also urged the government to establish a directorate to oversee early childhood care and development for children aged 0-5.
The panel recommended that Anganwadi centres for children aged 0-3 should be renamed ‘Mother-Child Care Centres,’ and their workers should be called ‘Mother-Child Care Takers.’ Pre-primary schools should be referred to as ‘Child Development Centres’ (CDCs), with mentors called ‘Child Developers.’ CDCs should focus on activities such as drawing and play, enrolling children who turn three by July 31. The government should establish CDCs wherever government and private schools are located and regulate those run by private management. The primary focus should be on ‘Spoken Tamil’ in addition to ‘Spoken English.’
Taking a stand against coaching centres, the panel recommended that the government strongly consider banning all coaching centres operated alongside schools and colleges by individuals or corporate companies, both physically and virtually, including private tuition centres. The state should also consider banning all forms of formal education-related advertisements in the media, as these contribute to the commercialization of education. The official press release can be accessed HERE.
The State Education Policy of Tamil Nadu opposes the use of entrance exams for admissions to higher education courses, advocating instead for enrollment based on board exam marks. Additionally, it calls for the creation of a regulatory body for ‘deemed to be universities.’
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