Implementation of State edu Policy further delayed owing to poll code

CHENNAI: The much-anticipated release of the state-owned education policy is expected to be further delayed due to the prevailing election Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which is in force till the date of election results on June 4. As per the original schedule, the policy should have been released last September.

The proposal of an expert committee of educationists and experts is to derive an exclusive State Education Policy (SEP), as announced made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2021.

After constituting the panel, headed by retired High Court Judge D Murugesan in 2022, a series of review meetings was held to give shape to SEP, which should have been released in May 2023. However, one of the senior members and convener of the panel Jawahar Nesan resigned citing harassment from the senior officials while preparing the policy. The state government denied his allegations and reconstituted the committee by adding new faces.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department, seeking anonymity, told DT Next that the SEP has already been prepared and kept ready for the state government approval in November 2023 itself. “It (SEP) was waiting for the state government approval,” he said.

“However, the then Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy faced disqualification as a legislator after his conviction, the release of SEP one more hurdle,” he said adding though the minister has been reinstated as minister, there was not much improvement in releasing the SEP as general elections date were also announced.

The official said that the draft SEP is expected to be released only after the general election results are announced. “Even if the draft policy will be released after June 4, it has to be in public domain so that the stakeholders concerned would give their feedback and suggestions for any amendments are taken,” he said. This process is expected to take two to three months before the panel could come out with a final policy for implementation.

PB Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of State Platform for Common School System said that the state government should ensure that the SEP should be released as soon as possible for the benefit of the students in the State. “Further delay would put more pressure on the educational institutions as managements were anticipating SEP for a long time,” he added.

Professor E Balagurusamy, former Anna University Vice Chancellor said the works on SEP started two years after the introduction of NEP-2020. “The delay is affecting institutions too,” he said.