Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, appearing for the Union government added that many states across India had signed the MoU, but Tamil Nadu alone had not.
Published May 24, 2025 | 10:55 AM ⚊ Updated May 24, 2025 | 10:55 AM
No education funds for Tamil Nadu without NEP MoU. (iStock)
Synopsis: The Union government told the Madras High Court it withheld RTE quota funds from Tamil Nadu due to the state’s refusal to sign an MoU linked to the New Education Policy. Tamil Nadu called this coercive. The court adjourned the matter, seeking updates after a 28 May meeting. The dispute reflects broader tensions over NEP implementation and funding.
The Union government on Friday, 23 May informed the Madras High Court that funds for the 25 percent quota for underprivileged students have not been allocated to the Tamil Nadu government because it has not yet signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union government regarding issues including the New Education Policy (NEP).
Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, appearing for the Union government added that many states across India had signed the MoU, but Tamil Nadu alone had not.
Responding to ASG Sundaresan, Tamil Nadu Additional Advocate General Ravindran said the Union government’s decision to withhold funds for not signing the MoU reflected a domineering and coercive approach.
Following this exchange, the bench adjourned the matter without fixing a date and directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit the outcome of its upcoming meeting on 28 May regarding the implementation of the 25 percent RTE quota.
The high court was hearing the petition filed by V Eswaran, an administrator of the Coimbatore-based organisation Marumalarchi Iyakkam, stating that admissions under the 25 percent reservation quota for economically disadvantaged students in private schools as mandated by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, had not commenced for the current academic year.
When the case came up for hearing on 22 May, before a bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and V Lakshminarayanan, the court directed the central government to submit details regarding funds to be allocated to Tamil Nadu for implementing the 25 percent RTE quota.
This legal development follows a broader and continuing conflict between the Tamil Nadu government and the Union government over the New Education Policy.
In March this year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had stated that Tamil Nadu would not receive ₹2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan scheme because the state had refused to sign the MoU linked to the NEP.
He specifically cited Tamil Nadu’s refusal to permit the opening of PM SHRI schools, flagship institutions envisioned under the NEP, as the reason for withholding the funds. During a discussion in Parliament on 10 March, Pradhan controversially remarked that the Tamil Nadu government had initially agreed to the scheme but later backed out, calling the move “undemocratic” and “uncivilized”. He later issued an apology for these comments.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin responded through an official statement, citing a letter from Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in which the minister stated that the Union government had rejected the MoU for PM SHRI schools because the modified version indicated that the Tamil Nadu government was completely rejecting the NEP.
The standoff intensified further when, during the presentation of the Tamil Nadu State Budget for 2025–26 on 14 March, the state government declared that it would not implement the NEP even if ₹10,000 crore were offered. It also announced that the ₹2,152 crore denied by the Union government would be covered through state funds.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
