Udhaya, Ravi at odds over TN syllabus

Chennai: A couple of days after governor R N Ravi criticised the state board syllabus saying it was "not competitive" and far behind others, state sports development and youth welfare minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday said that 'certain people' were defaming and spreading canards on the curriculum of state govt schools as they could not stomach the alumni of these schools successfully attaining greater heights in various fields.
On Sunday, participating in a school event, the governor said state board school syllabus was "not competitive and was below par". He continued his tirade on Thursday at a Teachers' Day event, saying "the standard of teaching in state govt schools was low and below national average".
Speaking at an event organised by the school education department, Udhayanidhi said the state board syllabus encouraged critical thinking and rational questioning among students.
He pointed to successful alumni such as ISRO scientists Mylswamy Annadurai and P Veeramuthuval, as well as numerous professionals in the IT sector.
"We can't accept anyone criticising the state board syllabus. If anyone does it, it is equivalent to disrespecting the students and teachers. The chief minister and the ‘Dravidian model' govt will never allow that," he said, adding, "No matter what anyone says, students studying Tamil Nadu board syllabus are sure to record many more achievements in the future." The minister said TN syllabus was the best in India. He said a decisive victory for the DMK in the 2026 assembly election would be necessary to continue such educational achievements.
Meanwhile, addressing teachers and educationists as part of his 'Think to Dare' series on Teachers' Day, Ravi said the strong foundation laid for education by the late chief minister K Kamaraj had "unfortunately weakened". The governor said, "It was on that foundation that our state led in many fields, but now there are surveys that show that the standard of education is low."