Mon May 05 15:10:39 UTC 2025: ## Puducherry DMK Condemns Proposed School Promotion Exams
**Puducherry, May 5, 2025** – The Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry and DMK convenor, R. Siva, has strongly criticized the government’s plan to implement mandatory promotion exams for students in the third, fifth, and eighth grades. Siva argues that this policy, mirroring aspects of the National Education Policy (NEP), will disproportionately harm children from economically weaker backgrounds, leading to increased dropout rates and potentially pushing students into child labor.
He accused the BJP-AINRC government of blindly following the Centre’s education agenda, disregarding regional needs and the welfare of students. Siva highlighted the negative impact of the previous year’s introduction of the CBSE curriculum in government schools, citing high failure rates in classes 9 and 11 due to insufficient teacher training in English-medium instruction.
Drawing a contrast with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s opposition to the NEP, Siva questioned whether the policy aligns with the legacy of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, often cited as an inspiration by Puducherry Chief Minister Rangasamy. He urged the government to reconsider the plan and warned of mass protests if the policy is not abandoned.
First Piper 