Finalised by expert panel, State Education Policy awaits govt nod

CHENNAI: The much-hyped State-owned Education Policy (SEP) is yet to be released even though it was prepared by the expert committee last year. The appointment proposal of an expert committee of educationists and experts to formulate a distinct State Education Policy (SEP) was announced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on August 13, 2021.

After appointing the expert panel, under the head of retired High Court Judge D Murugesan in 2022, a series of review meetings gave shape to SEP, which should have been released by May 2023.

However, one of the senior members and convener of the expert committee, Jawahar Nesan, resigned, citing harassment from the senior officials while preparing the SEP. Denying the allegations, the State government reconstituted the committee, adding new members.

A senior official, seeking anonymity, said the panel has already approved the SEP and kept it ready for the release. “After K Ponmudy’s exit as minister, there was not much improvement in the status to release the SEP,” he said adding “It was planned that it should have to be introduced at least from 2024-25 academic year.”

“However, if the release of draft SEP is further delayed, it would be difficult to implement during the coming academic year for the TN-run varsities, colleges and government schools,” he claimed and added that as the general elections are expected to be held in May this year, all the government school teachers would be busy with poll duties.

PB Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System, said, “If the draft report is delayed, the policy implementation would be further delayed”.

“Sooner its implementation, sooner the benefits,” he added.

Professor E Balagurusamy, former Anna University V-C said the works on SEP started two years after the introduction of NEP and can’t be delayed further.