: In its second meeting within six days, the Tamil Nadu Cabinet on Monday discussed various aspects of the Centre’s draft new education policy and the stand to be taken by the State government during the 64th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) scheduled in New Delhi on Tuesday. The safety and livelihood issues of Tamil fishermen who were getting arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy was also discussed at the meeting, sources said.
The Cabinet meeting was convened by Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam primarily to discuss the draft new education policy, since multiple departments and agencies were involved in the issue. The Government wanted to ensure that the agenda of the CABE meeting was discussed with all Ministers to arrive at a cohesive stand.
According to informed sources, while the State welcomed certain aspects of the draft NEP, it was concerned about certain other provisions.
“It was decided that issues like Sanskritisation of education, infringement of rights of minority educational institutions and those that would erode the autonomy of the State government would be opposed in the meeting in Delhi,” a source said.
Incidentally, activists working in the field of equitable education had recently urged the State Government to voice concerns about limiting the no-detention policy to up to Class V from the current VIII and also the attempts to segregate students on the basis of their social status.
As for the fishermen issue, the discussion was around the fishermen-level talks between representatives from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, which are likely to be held on November 2.
The preparatory arrangements for the meeting were also discussed by the Cabinet.
As was the case during the first Cabinet meeting convened by Mr. Panneerselvam on Wednesday last, a portrait of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was displayed prominently in front of him during the meeting on Monday too.
Besides the Ministers, Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao, Secretaries to the Chief Minister, Public Secretary Shiv Das Meena, Finance Secretary K. Shanmugam, Officer on Special Duty in the Chief Minister’s Office Santha Sheela Nair and Adviser to government Sheela Balakrishnan were present during the meeting.
This is the second Cabinet meeting to be convened by Mr. Panneerselvam after Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao allocated the portfolios held by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to him following her hospitalisation.
