CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin will unveil the State Education Policy (SEP) for schools at the Anna Centenary Library on Friday. It will be released alongside a felicitation ceremony for government school students who have secured admission to premier higher education institutions across the country.
The state government, which has consistently opposed the National Education Policy (NEP), had constituted a committee headed by retired Justice D Murugesan in April 2022 to draft SEP within a year. However, the deadline was later extended and the final policy was submitted to the government in July 2024.
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi had earlier said that the SEP would be unveiled in two parts - one covering school education and the other higher education. However, the policy submitted to the government covers Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), school education, and higher education.
Key recommendations of the committee include a curriculum to inculcate social equity and justice, strengthening of government schools over providing RTE funds to private institutions, retaining the existing school structure instead of adopting the NEP model, and continuing the two-language policy with a strong emphasis on Tamil.
The report also suggested reforms to the existing assessment system, stating that the open book tests should become the norm and recommended the appointment of physical education teachers from primary classes.
“The policy to be released on Friday is also expected to include provisions to introduce emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the school level and give importance to it,” said a senior official.