Tamil Nadu bans political and private group members from school campus interactions

On Thursday, Minister Rajmohan announced in Chennai that members of political parties and private organizations will no longer be permitted to interact directly with students inside school campuses during class hours. The new policy aims to protect the academic environment, ensuring that students can remain fully focused on their learning and teachers can conduct their classes without any external interruptions.

Following the announcement, the School Education Department is expected to release comprehensive guidelines to enforce this restriction across schools. However, the official statement issued by the minister did not clarify the exact scope of the restriction. Specifically, the statement does not define who falls under the ambit of a "party person." Furthermore, it remains unclear whether ministers or Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will still be permitted to interact with students during official school inspections. Minister Rajmohan was unavailable for comments to clarify these outstanding questions.

The policy shift comes in the immediate backdrop of public backlash involving Industries Minister Keerthana. Minister Keerthana recently faced criticism after she asked a student to converse in English during a visit to a school in Virudhunagar.

On Wednesday, just a day before announcing the new restrictions, Minister Rajmohan had defended Keerthana’s actions. He stated that the Industries Minister had merely behaved like an "elder" sister to the student during the interaction.

Despite defending the minister, Rajmohan emphasized the need to keep school environments free from outside interference. Stressing that school campuses must remain dedicated spaces for education, Rajmohan stated that campuses should function as centres of knowledge, awareness, and thoughtful learning. He added that ensuring students remain focused on their studies and enabling teachers to carry out their teaching duties without interruption is the government's foremost responsibility.