How Samacheer Kalvi came to existence in Tamil Nadu

Until 2010, Tamil Nadu was the only State in the country to operate four school boards — State Board, Matriculation, Oriental School Leaving Certificate (OSLC) and Anglo Indian. While the learning content remained the same, the textbooks were different and exams were conducted separately for each by the School Education Department.

For a long time, educationists kept demanding that all the boards be merged to bring about Equitable Standard School Education. The purpose was to eliminate inequality in education quality and ensure all students received the same learning opportunities, irrespective of their school’s management or location.

In the run-up to the 2006 Assembly elections, the DMK in its manifesto promised to introduce a uniform system of school education.

After coming to power, the M. Karunanidhi Government appointed a committee under the chairmanship of S. Muthukumaran, former Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, to study the feasibility of the proposal. The panel, in its report, submitted on July 7, 2007, recommended the introduction of a common education system after abolishing the four different boards in existence in the State.

School teachers receiving Samacheer Kalvi textbooks at in Kancheepuram on August 13, 2011 | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives

An ordinance was promulgated in 2009 to begin implementing the Equitable Standard School Education. Thereafter, the Tamil Nadu Uniform System of School Education Act, 2010 was enacted. Under this, the four Boards of Education were merged to offer “Samacheer Kalvi” (uniform education). The next task was to frame syllabus and produce textbooks.

“The new syllabus seeks to equip students to face challenges with courage and confidence,” said then School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu.