• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday unveiled the State Education Policy (SEP) as a state-specific alternative to the National Education Policy (NEP). The announcement, made at the Anna Centenary Library Auditorium in Kotturpuram, marks the culmination of over a year’s work by a 14-member committee led by retired Justice Murugesan.

• The policy retains the state’s two-language formula, mandating Tamil for all students up to Class 10 across all boards, including CBSE and ICSE, while rejecting the NEP’s three-language framework. It also rules out public examinations for Classes 3, 5, and 8, citing concerns over dropout rates and commercialisation of education.

• Undergraduate admissions for arts and science courses will continue to be based on combined marks from Classes 11 and 12, with no common entrance test. The SEP places strong emphasis on science education, artificial intelligence, and English proficiency, alongside substantial investment in state-run educational institutions.

• The policy also recommends moving education from the concurrent list back to the state list, underscoring Tamil Nadu’s demand for greater autonomy in education. The launch comes amid a funding dispute with the Centre, with the state alleging that ₹2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha scheme has been withheld for not implementing NEP provisions.