Tamil Nadu Govt to allot Rs 50 crore to promote research; invites Delhi CM to launch 3 projects

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday reiterated the state government's opposition to National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and National Education Policy (NEP 2020). Announcing various projects, he said that the Tamil Nadu government will pay Rs 1,000 per month to female students as a higher education aid.

“To promote higher education and encourage research, our government will allocate Rs 50 crore every year,” he announced while addressing a meeting of vice-chancellors of state-run universities.

CM Research Fellowship will be launched soon to allow undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) graduates to undertake research, he added.

Reiterating why the Tamil Nadu government is opposing NEET, he said, “Education should decide the qualifications. Saying that one should be qualified to pursue education is the biggest injustice.”

"This is an issue related to the state government's right, it is the right of the government elected by the people, it is related to the education rights of state universities," he said. Hence, the functioning of state-run universities and VCs should reflect the state government's policy decisions, the Chief Minister said.

Opposing the NEP, Stalin recalled the government constituting a committee led by retired Judge of the Madras High Court, D Murugesan to formulate the State Education Policy (SEP). The Chief Minister said that this initiative of SEP is to build a society inspired by science.

Delhi CM to launch educational projects in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu education minister Anbil Mahesh met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday and invited him to the launch of the Puthumai Penn Thittam (innovative project for girls). Delhi CM will inaugurate 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools on September 5.

I thank Thiru @mkstalin for inviting me to visit Tamil Nadu next week.

I am elated to join the people of Tamil Nadu in their journey towards an education revolution.

We will together be launching 3 crucial projects on September 5th

(1/2) https://t.co/ZS5RX33gMp

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 30, 2022

Taking at the meeting, the chief minister further said that the 164 positions in the top 1,000 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking 2022 were secured by the colleges in Tamil Nadu.

There are a total of 22 state-run universities, of which only two were established before India’s independence. One is Madras University which was set up in 1857 and Annamalai University in 1920s. And, only one university was set up between 1947 to 1967. The other 19 universities were established after 1967 by the Dravidian party.

He further said that Rs 3,000 crore is allotted for these universities every year. Stating that several engineering, medical, architecture colleges in Tamil Nadu are among the top universities in the country, he said, education for all is one of the motto of the DMK party.

CM Stalin also recalled that his government enacted a Bill in the Assembly to enable the state government to appoint Vice-Chancellors.

#LIVE: பல்கலைக்கழகத் துணைவேந்தர்கள் மாநாட்டில் தலைமையுரை https://t.co/0X7kFOO5e2

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 30, 2022