Navodaya Vidyalayas operate across India under the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, an autonomous body under the Union education ministry. The article notes that 653 such schools function nationwide, and claims Tamil Nadu remains the only state without them.
According to the report, the schools offer fully free education from Classes 6 to 12 under the CBSE curriculum, with boarding facilities. Food, accommodation, uniforms and textbooks are provided at no cost, and the stated focus is to support talented students from rural areas.
The piece says the Tamil Nadu government has repeatedly opposed opening Navodaya schools, citing the three-language policy followed in these institutions as being against the state’s policy. It contrasts this with West Bengal and Kerala—states described as politically opposed to the BJP-led Union government—where Navodaya schools continue to function in multiple districts.
A letter from a retired headmaster from Nilgiris, published in the newspaper’s reader section, argues that denying Navodaya schools on the grounds of Hindi teaching harms poor rural students. The article urges the state government to cooperate in establishing one school per district, highlighting the benefits for students’ future prospects.
