T.N. Minister Anbil Mahesh urges parents to oppose CBSE’s detention policy

Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. File
| Photo Credit: Akhila Easwaran

Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has urged parents to raise their voices against the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) move to implement the rollback of the ‘no-detention’ policy, under the National Education Policy (NEP), that would allow the detention of students in Classes 5 and 8 if they fail their exams.

Speaking to reporters in Tiruchi on Friday (May 2, 2025), Mr. Poyyamozhi expressed strong opposition to the detention policy. “The idea of failing students at such a young age puts immense pressure on children and their parents, and will contribute to increased dropout rates,” he said.

He pointed out that according to the Right to Education (RTE) Act, there should be no exams as well as detention of children in the same class for Classes 5 and 8. Introducing a detention policy for young students could make them drop out of school entirely.

Mr. Poyyamozhi also criticised the financial burden placed on parents to admit their children into CBSE schools. He urged parents to raise their voices against the education policy. “We are not only speaking for the children of DMK members, but for all students in Tamil Nadu, regardless of their political affiliation — be it BJP, AIADMK, or others,” he added.

He said that when the NEP was initially proposed as a draft, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had opposed it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hastily approved, but Tamil Nadu has remained firm against its implementation.

The Minister said that the DMK government was introducing several reforms to ensure quality education and strengthen the State’s education policy.