Tamil nadu act 013 of 2006 : Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act, 2006

Section 1. Short title, extent and commencement

1. Short title, extent and commencement.- (1) This Act may be called the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act, 2006.

(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Tamil Nadu.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification appoint.

Section 2. Definitions

2. Definitions.- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) "academic year" means the year commencing on the first day of June;

(b) "competent authority" means the competent authority appointed by the Government under section 4;

(c) "Government" means the State Government;

(c) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules;

(e) "school" means,-

(i) any Primary School, Middle School, High School or Higher Secondary School maintained by the State or Local Bodies; or

(ii) any Primary School, Middle School, High School or Higher Secondary School established and administered or maintained by any private educational agency including minority school established and administered under clause (1) of Article 30 of the Constitution, whether receiving aid out of the State fund or not; or

(iii) any Nursery and Primary School, Matriculation School, Anglo-Indian School or Oriental School including minority school established and administered under clause (1) of Article 30 of the Constitution, whether receiving aid out of the State fund or not; or

(iv) such other school as may be notified by the Government in this behalf.

Explanation.- For the purpose of this clause,-

(i) Nursery and Primary School shall consist of standards L.K.G. to V;

(ii) Primary School shall consist of standards I to V;

(iii) Middle School shall consist of standards I to VIII or standards VI to VIII;

(iv) High School shall consist of standards I to X or VI to X or IX and X;

(v) Higher Secondary School shall consist of standards I to XII, VI to XII or IX to XII.

Section 3. Tamil as subject

3. Tamil as subject.- (1) Tamil shall be taught as a subject in standards I to X in all schools, in a phased manner, commencing from the academic year 2006-2007 for standard I, from the academic year 2007-2008 for standards I and II and shall be extended upto X standard in a like manner.

(2) For the purpose of sub-section (1), the pattern of education shall be as follows:-

Part-I Tamil (Compulsory)

Part-II English (Compulsory)

Part-III Other Subjects (Mathematics, Science, Social Science, etc.)

Part-IV Students who do not have either Tamil or English as their mother tongue can study their mother tongue as an optional subject.

Section 4. Competent authority

4. Competent authority.- (1) The Government may, by notification, appoint any officer of the Education Department not below the rank of District Educational Officer to be competent authority for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder and different competent authorities may be appointed for different areas.

(2) The competent authority shall exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be prescribed.

Section 5. Exemption

5. Exemption.- The Government may, subject to such conditions as they deem fit, by general or special order, exempt any class or category of student or students from all or any of the provisions of this Act either in part or in whole.

Section 6. Competent authority to be public servant

6. Competent authority to be public servant.- The competent authority appointed under section 4 shall be deemed to be public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code. (Central Act XLV of ???)

Section 7. Power of Government to give direction

7. Power of Government to give direction.- (1) The Government may, in the public interest, by order, direct the competent authority to make an enquiry or to take appropriate proceedings under this Act in any case specified in the order, and the competent authority shall report to the Government the result of the enquiry made or the proceedings taken by him within such period as may be prescribed.

(2) On receipt of the report from the competent authority under sub-section (1), the Government shall give such direction as they deem fit and such direction shall be final and binding.

Section 8. Protection of action taken in good faith

8. Protection of action taken in good faith.- No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall be against the competent authority, Government or its Officers for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act or any rule or order made thereunder.

Section 9. Power to make rules

9. Power to make rules.- (1) The Government may make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every rule or notification or order made under this Act, shall, as soon as possible, after it is made or issued, be placed on the Table of the Legislative Assembly, and if, before the expiry of the session in which it is so placed or the next session, the Assembly makes any modification in any such rule or notification or order or the Assembly decides that the rule or notification or order should not be made, the rule or notification or order shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule or notification or order.

Section 10. Power to remove difficulties

10. Power to remove difficulties.- If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Government may, by order published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette, make such provisions, as appears to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty:

Provided that he order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act.