When the DMK government in Tamil Nadu released its State Education Policy (SEP) 2025, it framed the document as a proud, locally crafted alternative to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The stated intent was to resist “central imposition,” protect Tamil Nadu’s linguistic-cultural identity, and set a distinct course for education in the state.
But a detailed comparison of the two policies tells a different story. SEP 2025 borrows heavily from NEP 2020, often reproducing its core reforms almost word-for-word, while omitting some of NEP’s most far-reaching, system-wide changes. What emerges is less a radical state innovation and more a politically rebranded adaptation of a national framework the DMK had earlier opposed.
NEP 2020’s Comprehensive Vision
NEP 2020 was the first overhaul of India’s education policy in 34 years. It set out a unified reform blueprint integrating school education, vocational pathways, and higher education under one framework. Its design was ambitious and long-term, linking foundational literacy to global competitiveness.
Some of its hallmark features included:
- Structural redesign: A new 5+3+3+4 curriculum structure, replacing the 10+2 system.
- Curriculum flexibility: Multidisciplinary subject choices and credit mobility from early grades onwards.
- Teacher standards: A National Professional Standard for Teachers, career progression frameworks, and structured professional development.
- Assessment reform: Creation of a National Assessment Centre (PARAKH) to guide testing standards and shift away from high-stakes board exams toward modular, competency-based evaluation.
- Vocational integration: Mandating skill-based modules, industry-linked internships, and career exposure from Grade 6.
- Higher education transformation: Phasing out the affiliation system, promoting multidisciplinary universities, and fostering research collaboration with global institutions.
- Equity at scale: National schemes for disadvantaged groups, including scholarships, special education zones, and flexible learning pathways.
- Global outlook: Explicitly aiming to position India as a knowledge superpower, aligning curricula with international standards while promoting multilingualism.
SEP 2025’s Localised Approach
Tamil Nadu’s SEP 2025 positions itself as a state-centric policy focused on school-level reforms, cultural preservation, and decentralised governance. It places emphasis on:
- Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) as a mission to be achieved by Grade 3.
- Mother-tongue instruction in Tamil, with a strong cultural and heritage component.
- Activity-based, experiential learning rooted in local traditions. Vocational exposure from middle school with focus on local crafts and trades.
- Continuous and non-punitive assessment aligned to classroom-level learning outcomes.
- Equity measures targeting SC/ST, CWSN, and economically disadvantaged groups through hostels, scholarships, and special schools.
- Community governance through School Management Committees and local bodies.
While these goals resonate with Tamil Nadu’s socio-cultural priorities, they do not address higher education reform, national assessment integration, or large-scale research and innovation infrastructure, all central to NEP’s long-term strategy.
The Copycat Elements
A close reading reveals that many SEP provisions mirror NEP 2020 almost directly. Let’s take a look.
Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN)
NEP: National mission, Grade 3 target, community mobilisation, remedial teaching.
SEP: Identical mission structure, Grade 3 target, and community-based strategies, rebranded for Tamil Nadu.
Mother-Tongue Instruction
NEP: Home/regional language till Grade 5 (preferably Grade 8).
SEP: Same principle, replacing “regional language” with “Tamil” and adding cultural emphasis.
Competency-Based, Experiential Learning
NEP: Inquiry-led, activity-based teaching with integrated arts, sports, and vocational education.
SEP: Same pedagogy, rephrased for local context.
Vocational Exposure from Grade 6
NEP: Mandated internships and skills training from Grade 6.
SEP: Same grade entry point, focus on local trades.
Continuous & Formative Assessment
NEP: Competency-based, non-punitive assessment, portfolios, and peer evaluation.
SEP: Same model, without NEP’s national PARAKH benchmarking system.
School Management Committees (SMCs)
NEP: Parent–teacher–community bodies for school governance.
SEP: Nearly identical in structure and role.
Equity & Inclusion
NEP: Lists disadvantaged groups, designs targeted schemes.
SEP: Same categorisation and interventions, with Tamil Nadu programme names.
Where NEP 2020 Stays Ahead
Despite these overlaps, NEP 2020 goes further in several critical areas. These include:
Higher Education Reform: NEP’s restructuring of universities, research funding, and international collaboration is absent from SEP.
Teacher Professionalisation: NEP’s binding standards and career pathways are national in scope; SEP focuses only on in-service development.
National Benchmarking: NEP’s PARAKH offers inter-state comparability; SEP’s assessments remain inward-looking.
Integrated Vision: NEP connects school, vocational, and higher education into one reform arc; SEP confines itself to primary and secondary schooling.
Global Orientation: NEP balances regional language promotion with English proficiency for global competitiveness; SEP prioritises Tamil-medium without equal weight on international readiness.
Political Counter or Policy Innovation?
The DMK’s promotion of SEP 2025 as a bold counter-policy rests on political positioning rather than fundamental pedagogical divergence. The party’s opposition to NEP was framed around fears of central overreach and cultural dilution. Yet, by adopting most of NEP’s core school-level reforms almost wholesale, SEP implicitly acknowledges the soundness of NEP’s ideas.
The key difference lies in scope: SEP avoids NEP’s higher education governance changes, national assessments, and centralised standards, moves that could integrate Tamil Nadu into broader national systems but might be seen as compromising state autonomy.
NEP 2020 set a unified national vision that bridges foundational learning, vocational skills, teacher careers, assessments, higher education, and global competitiveness. SEP 2025 delivers a politically acceptable local version of NEP’s school reforms, stripped of the national integration mechanisms and global competitiveness agenda.
For Tamil Nadu, the irony is unavoidable: the much-publicised SEP is not a rejection of NEP’s educational principles but a selective, rebranded adoption of them. In substance, NEP 2020 remains the more ambitious, systemic, and future-ready policy, while SEP 2025 is a narrower, politically framed adaptation.
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