Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India. The state's literacy rate is 80.33% in 2011, which is above the national average. A survey conducted by the Industry body Assocham ranks Tamil Nadu top among Indian states with about 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in primary and upper primary education.

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Education in Tamil Nadu

Government of Tamil Nadu
Department of School Education (Tamil Nadu), Department of Higher Education (Tamil Nadu),	Department of Employment and Training (Commissionerate of Employment and Training)
General details
Primary languages	Tamil, English
System type	state
Enrollment (2010)
Total	12855485
Primary	9797264
Secondary	1873989
Post secondary	1184232

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• Tamil Nadu Government
  • Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department
  • Tamil Nadu School Education Department
• Union Government
  • University Grants Commission (India)
  • All India Council for Technical Education

The structure of education in the state is based on the national level pattern with 12 years of schooling (10+2+3), consisting of eight years of elementary education, that is, five years of primary and three years of middle school education for the age groups of 6-11 and 11–14 years, respectively, followed by secondary and higher Secondary education of two years each besides two years of pre-primary education. The entry age in class 1 is 5+. Pre-primary classes form age group 3 to 4. The higher secondary school certificate enables pupils to pursue studies either in universities or in colleges for higher education in general academic streams and in technical and professional courses.

Education in Tamil Nadu has been a challenge of access and relevancy. The state ranks 12th for literacy for men and 13th in literacy for women.^[1] These statistics appear satisfactory, the dropout rate of 21% is still of concern, although less than the national average.^[2] The dropout rates for children aged 5-18 are higher for girls (35.3%) than boys (26.7%).^[3] Rural students endure hardship in accessing education. For instance, in the towns of Dharmapuriand Arco, students often may need to walk anywhere from “3-6 km to reach a middle or highschool”.^[4] The disparaging statistics also cut along religion and caste. Notably, Christian children are less likely to drop out of school from ages 5-18, than Hindu children that are backwards and scheduled castes.^[5] In order to understand the cause for these disparities, one must explore the history of education in the state.

In pre-colonial times, Brahmin children (of both genders) were taught "elementary education" by a tutor at home inside the agraharam.^[6] A watercolor painting called "Hindu school at Poona" depicts children studying.^[7] As seen in the picture, the school is confined within the agraharam and there are children of both genders.^[7] Children of other castes, sometimes, went to “government elementary schools in nearby villages”.^[8] People who were not Brahmin weren’t allowed inside the agraharam.^[9] This level of caste separation continued into colonial times. Educated people like scholar, teachers, and bureaucrats were Brahmins.^[10] Specifically, men who were Brahmin were more likely to be “literate in vernacular languages and sometimes Sanskrit”. ^[11] Eventually the shift from wanting an eastern education to an English education happened in the Maratha Kingdom of Tanjore.^[12] At the turn of the 19th century, the Maratha Deshastha and Telugu Niyogis were far more prominent than the Tamil Brahmins.^[13] The Deshatha’s were a “strong, tight knit group” and had “long experience with administration”. ^[14]This group would eventually decline and in their space the Tamil Brahmin’s would take over. The first sign of this change was when the Maratha’s added English to their education.^[15] Another sign was the grand opening of Madras High School in 1841. ^[16] This school was one of “the first attempts to disseminate Western education in South India”.^[16] Schools like these allowed the Tamil Brahmins to rise from “lowly positions” to “Madras government service” and “deputy collector” and eventually become “the core of a new administrative elite”.^[16] The Tamil Brahmins mostly went into sectors of medicine and engineering.^[17] Although, engineering prospects were low because the Public Works Department was hesitant about employing Indians.^[18]

After independence, there were efforts made to make education access more available to people of lower classes. The Madras state government created a 25% quota for “college places and government jobs”.^[19] This allowed people of Other Backwards Classes (OBC) to get more seats.^[20] In 1980, the quota increased to 50% which had a special note about 18% of that 50% should be for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.^[21] Although, this system of quotas was not perfect as it resulted in “lower-middle-class Brahmins…without good education qualifications” from getting secure government jobs.^[22] In private colleges, these brahmins usually have to pay “high capitation fees’” in order to get a seat.^[23] The gender gap in education however was not as easy of a solution. Women’s marriage prospects were regarded as more important than their education until “the end of the twentieth century”.^[24] In the 20th century, even “Brahmin girlswere rarely educated beyond primary school”.^[24] The push for women’s education coincided with marriage prospects as more educated men wanted wives who were educated.^[24] This allowed for women to start going to secondary school, college, and higher education.

One of the biggest populations that suffered and are still suffering from accessibility of education is the rural population in Tamil Nadu. Most of Tamil Nadu’s population (60%) survives on “low-productivity agriculture”.^[25] The wages from this type of work can be “very low”, which affects the quality of education that children who belong to agricultural families can acquire.^[26] One solution to this problem was the Noon Meal Programme. This program was implemented in “rural areas of Tamil Nadu” in June 1982.^[27] This allowed students to get a “daily freenutritious meal of 400-odd calories”.^[27] The program was first given to children ages 2-10 years.^[27] It was extended to all “pre-primary and elementary schools in Tamil Nadu”.^[27] Not only did this program give an incentive for rural families to send their children to school, it reduced the dropout rates by 90% in July 1982.^[28] It also “increased enrollment in primary schools” by 70%.^[28]

• ITI Certificate (Industrial Training Institute) - Regulated by Department of Employment and Training (Commissionerate of Employment and Training) and National Council for Vocational Training

Tamil Nadu has 37 universities, 552 (in 2014) engineering colleges. and 1150 arts college, 2550 schools and 5000 hospitals. Tamil Nadu Directorate Of Technical Education (TNDTE) under the control of the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department deals with Diploma, Post Diploma, Degree, Post Graduate courses and Research programmes. It also regulates the establishment of technical institutions including commerce institutions such as Typewriting, Shorthand and Accountancy.

• Tamil Nadu
• Education in Chennai
• Education in India
• State Board Of School Examinations (Sec.) & Board Of Higher Secondary Examinations, Tamil Nadu (SBSEBHSE)
• Education in Kerala
• List of Tamil Nadu Government's Educational Institutions
• Tamilnadu government colleges
• Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department