The Tamil Nadu Model of Education Reform

Dec. 27, 2024, 4:40 p.m.

Tamil Nadu’s new State Education Policy (SEP) is poised to introduce several student-friendly measures, diverging significantly from the National Education Policy (NEP). The 550-page SEP recommendations were submitted by a 14-member panel led by Justice D. Murugesan to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

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The Key Recommendations of SEP include:

- re-primary and play schools will be termed "Child Development Centres," focusing solely on play activities, with no writing tasks. Entry age for Class 1 is set at 5 years.

- It proposes a four-stage education system: primary, upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary (5+3+2+2).

- Options for open book or closed book assessments with information sheets are recommended to reduce rote memorisation. No common exams will be held until Class X.

- Tamil will be taught as the first language. Physical education periods will be increased to four per week, with physical education teachers appointed at the primary level.

- Admissions to undergraduate programs will be based on Class XI and XII marks, not entrance exams. The current three-year UG and two-year PG degree structure will continue.

- Open book and open-notes assessments will be promoted. The policy discourages the establishment of foreign universities but supports tie-ups with them.

- In addition to this, the policy also suggests banning all coaching centres, including private tuition centres.

A regulatory body for deemed-to-be universities will oversee admissions, fee structures, and faculty salaries. It also calls for extending fee committee oversight to CBSE and other board schools. Recommendations include revamping teacher selection and education, regional structures for affiliating engineering colleges, and establishing super specialty hospitals and colleges under Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University.

The panel's recommendations emphasise maintaining the current school entry age and educational structure, countering the NEP's proposed changes. Education activist P.B. Prince Gajendrababu and former Madras University vice-chancellor P. Duraisamy has highlighted the benefits of the SEP’s approach, including a seamless transition from school to college and greater flexibility in degree programs.