JOIN USTN to implement uniform school education scheme
The apex court had dismissed the state’s appeal against the Madras High Court order directing that USSE come into force for classes one to ten from this academic year. The apex court also declined to interfere with the high court’s ruling upholding the scheme.
Intervening in the debate on the revised Budget for 2011-12 in the State Assembly, Jayalalitha said she had just received the news about the Supreme Court’s order dismissing the appeal.
“The Supreme Court has directed that the High Court order be complied within ten days. Hence, our government will implement the ‘Samacheer Kalvi’ policy immediately,” Jayalalitha said when CPM member Dilli Babu raised the issue.
The new AIADMK regime had recently passed a Bill in the House to defer the USSE’s implementation after quality concerns were raised about the syllabi’s content. Meant to usher in “equity” in the school education system by having a Unitary State Board with uniform syllabi, the USSE, egged by PMK and the Left parties, was ushered in by the previous DMK rule.
The issue threatened to precipitate a serious political crisis for the AIADMK, as the opposition, including actor Vijayakant-led DMDK, demanded the USSE’s implementation from this year after modifications to the syllabi.
Outside the House, DMK chief M Karunanidhi hailed the Supreme Court verdict “historic”, and hoped that Jayalalitha would “give up her obduracy” in tackling such sensitive social issues.