Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday said the state government has allocated funds from its exchequer to compensate for the Rs 2,152 crore withheld by the Union government under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, reported The Hindu.
The Samagra Shiksha, implemented in 2018, is the scheme through which the Union government provides support for elementary and secondary school education. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said the amount will not be released unless Tamil Nadu implements the National Education Policy and its three-language formula.
“Despite this, keeping in mind the welfare of students, the state government has allocated funds, including salaries of teachers, from its own resources to ensure that the education of government school students remains unaffected,” said Thennarasu while presenting the state Budget for 2025-’26.
The three-language formula refers to teaching students English, Hindi and the native language of a state. It was introduced in the first National Education Policy in 1968 and was retained in the new policy introduced in 2020.
Tamil Nadu has opposed its implementation, stating that the formula is a method to impose Hindi in the state.
Thennarasu said that Rs 46,767 crore has been allocated for the School Education Department in 2025-’26, compared to Rs 44,042 crore in 2024-’25.
The Samagra Shiksha scheme has supported various student welfare initiatives in the state over the past seven years, including the ‘Ennum Ezhuthum Thittam’ for foundational literacy, special education for children with disabilities, transport allowances for students from remote areas, guidance for higher education and art festivals, the minister added.
Quoting poet Bharathidasan, Thennarasu said: “Thamizharukku Thondu Seiyum Thamizhanukku Thadai Seiyum Nedunkundrum Thoolaai Pogum,” meaning “any opposition to a Tamilian to work for the betterment of Tamil community will eventually crumble and fail, even if it is a mighty mountain”.
Under the Perasiriyar Anbazhagan School Development Scheme, Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated to improve infrastructure in government schools, including additional classrooms, science laboratories, and drinking water facilities. Computer labs in 2,000 schools will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 160 crore and smart classrooms will be set up in 2,676 government schools at a cost of Rs 65 crore.
The Teachers Recruitment Board will soon release a notification to recruit 1,721 postgraduate teachers and 841 graduate teachers, Thennarasu added.
He also announced that 14 government high schools in remote hilly regions, including Pappireddipatti, Sathyamangalam, Thalavadi, Chinnasalem, Kalvarayan hills, Thally, Kotagiri and Jawadhu Hills, would be upgraded to higher secondary schools.
In addition, new libraries, each housing one lakh books and equipped with conference halls, will be set up in Salem, Cuddalore, and Tirunelveli, following the model of the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai.
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