Attended the 36th Convocation Ceremony of Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul alongside our Hon.@PMOIndia. On #NationalEducationDay, I...

Attending the thirty-sixth convocation ceremony of the Gandhigram Rural Institute in Dindigul alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin made a significant federal demand on National Education Day, directly urging the Union Government to restore Education to the State List of the Indian Constitution. Stalin emphasized that state governments possess intimate understanding of regional linguistic, socioeconomic, and cultural requirements, making decentralized educational governance vital for truly inclusive public learning.

Highlighting Tamil Nadu's high Gross Enrolment Ratio and pioneering social justice schemes—such as the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme, the Puthumai Penn financial aid for girl students, and the Illam Thedi Kalvi grassroots learning initiative—Stalin argued that uniform national mandates often stifle regional innovation. Restoring Education to the State List, where it originally resided before being moved to the Concurrent List during the Emergency in 1976, would empower states to craft responsive curricula suited to local developmental priorities.

Stalin urged the Union Government to encourage Tamil Nadu's novel educational interventions rather than imposing centralized competitive examinations like NEET. By advocating educational federalism on a national platform, Stalin reaffirmed that genuine cooperative federalism requires respecting state autonomy in human development.