At the end of a yearlong exercise from May 2022 to April 2023, colleges across Tamil Nadu were asked to follow the syllabus framed by Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) from the current academic year. Arts and science colleges, which have admitted over 1.11 lakh students this year, would teach students according to the new syllabus, Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudy said. About 75 % of the syllabus of every college should be the same, says the decree.
Initially, sporadic voices rose against what they called the imposition of the common syllabus, but the opposition became more vehement closer to the start of the academic year. A few teachers’ associations, including those that were against the revised syllabus initially, issued statements supporting it. Mr. Ponmudy regularly addressed the concerns, through meetings with Vice-Chancellors and the principals of autonomous colleges in Chennai. Yet, the opinion is divided. The opinion of those who are opposed to the uniform syllabus seems the loudest in the academic community.
