In a significant legal challenge, the Tamil Nadu government has filed a suit in the Supreme Court against the Union government for allegedly withholding over ₹2,000 crore in educational funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme. The State contends that the Centre’s move has severely impacted the functioning of its public school system, affecting millions of students and teachers.
Allegations of Political Bias in Fund Withholding
Filed through State counsel Sabarish Subramanian, and represented by senior advocate P. Wilson, the petition argues that the Centre’s refusal to release the funds appears to be retaliation against Tamil Nadu’s strong opposition to the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the PM SHRI Schools Scheme, which requires full NEP implementation.
The legal team, which includes advocates Richardson Wilson and Apoorv Malhotra, emphasized in the filing that the Samagra Shiksha Scheme is not part of the NEP 2020 and is a separate, ongoing centrally sponsored program vital for maintaining school-level infrastructure and academic quality.
Over 43 Lakh Students and 2.2 Lakh Teachers Affected
According to the State’s filing, the Centre’s inaction threatens to disrupt education for over 43.94 lakh students and 2.21 lakh teachers in Tamil Nadu’s public schools. The suit claims that the Centre is unfairly linking an essential educational fund to ideological compliance, which violates the federal spirit of the Constitution.
“The denial of funds is clearly aimed at coercing the State into accepting a policy it does not support,” the petition stated.
Samagra Shiksha Scheme: A Critical Education Lifeline
The Samagra Shiksha Scheme is a flagship national program that supports school education from pre-primary to senior secondary levels. It provides financial assistance for infrastructure development, inclusive education, digital learning tools, teacher training, and more. Tamil Nadu argues that linking this scheme to NEP compliance is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Political Tensions Deepen Over NEP Implementation
Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the three-language policy advocated in the NEP 2020, favoring a two-language formula aligned with its long-standing commitment to linguistic and cultural autonomy. The PM SHRI Schools scheme, which Tamil Nadu has refused to implement in full, is now being viewed as a tool to enforce NEP mandates across states.
This legal standoff reflects broader tensions between the State and the Centre, especially regarding education policy centralization.