The closure of 207 government schools across Tamil Nadu in a single year is not just an administrative lapse; it is a grave assault on the fundamental rights of the Tamil people. Education is the lifeline of a society, and shutting down schools means cutting off the very roots of Tamil identity and progress.
✦. Education – The Lifeline of the Tamil Community
Education has always been the weapon that liberates societies from poverty and oppression. From the Sangam era, Tamils considered learning as the foundation of a dignified life. To ensure this education reached the common people, political leaders and social reformers have fought tirelessly.
✦. Kamarajar’s Educational Revolution
In the 1960s, Perunthalaivar K. Kamarajar declared that “Education is the fundamental right of the poor.” He reopened 6,000 schools that had been closed and built 12,000 new schools across Tamil Nadu, giving every Tamil child access to education.
︎ Midday Meal Scheme – It brought back children who had abandoned school due to hunger, ensuring no child studied on an empty stomach.
︎ Education for All – His policies laid the foundation for Tamil Nadu to become a model state in literacy and public schooling.
✦. Anna’s Vision – Education and Social Justice
C.N. Annadurai (Anna) strongly believed that education was the door to social justice. He rejected the division between “elite education” and “education for the poor,” asserting that every Tamil child deserved equal opportunity. Anna’s political vision treated education as the instrument that would bring equality to society.
✦. Ambedkar’s Guidance – Education as Liberation
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar emphasized that “Education is the weapon of social change.” His teachings inspired oppressed communities to embrace learning as a tool of liberation. In Tamil Nadu, Ambedkar’s influence indirectly strengthened the demand for accessible education for marginalized communities.
✦. Maraimalai Adigal (Parithimar Kalaignar) – Language and Education
Parithimar Kalaignar, the great Tamil scholar, insisted that education must be imparted in the mother tongue. His words – “Knowledge rooted in one’s own language is knowledge that survives” – remain a timeless truth. His insistence on Tamil-medium education was a turning point in the struggle for preserving Tamil identity through education.
✦. The “Dravidian Model” – Propaganda Politics, Educational Collapse
Today, the so-called “Dravidian Model” government has betrayed this proud educational legacy.
︎ Thousands of teaching posts remain vacant, creating severe teacher shortages.
︎ School buildings crumble while the government extends its hand to private charities for repairs.
︎ Students are unsafe in government schools, facing increasing drug abuse and sexual harassment.
︎ Colleges suffer from unpaid guest lecturers, unregularized posts, and continuous faculty protests.
The much-hyped Breakfast Scheme and ₹1000 stipend for students have turned into political advertisements rather than genuine steps to improve educational quality. Despite such schemes, enrollment in government schools and colleges continues to decline.
✦. Private Schools Rise – Government Schools Fall
Why is it that private schools can provide “quality education,” but government schools in Tamil Nadu fail to do so under Dravidian rule?
The answer lies not in the capacity of Tamil children, but in the administrative incompetence and negligence of the government.
✦. The Right of Tamils – Quality Education
Every Tamil child has the right to free, safe, and quality education. That is the duty of a government. Denying this is equivalent to pushing the Tamil poor into permanent social and economic backwardness.
Ironically, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister speaks of protecting education and healthcare in Cuba, while in Tamil Nadu itself, schools are closing in hundreds. Does Cuba close down schools like this? Is education there reduced to political gimmicks? These questions remain unanswered.
✦. History Speaks – Education is Liberation
Kamarajar, Anna, Ambedkar, and Parithimar Kalaignar all taught us one undeniable truth: Education is Liberation. Any government that destroys public education is, in reality, selling off the future of Tamil society.
✦. Our Demands
︎ Reopen immediately all 207 government schools that have been shut down.
︎ Fill the vacant teaching posts without delay.
︎ Ensure the safety of students in every school and college.
︎ Repair crumbling school infrastructure immediately.
︎ Raise the standard of government schools to be on par with private schools.
︎ Strengthen Tamil-medium education to protect the Tamil language and culture.
✦. Conclusion:
The attack on Tamil education is a historical betrayal. Education is not merely a tool for employment; it is the very soul of Tamil identity, dignity, and freedom.
Therefore, every closed school must be reopened, every child must be guaranteed quality education, and every Tamil family must be assured that their language and culture will thrive through a strong educational system.
If education is safeguarded, the Tamil nation’s future will shine eternally.
Author:
Eelaththu Nilavan
(Historical and Political Researcher)
17/08/2025
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