Chennai, Aug 5: The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs 44,527 crore to the School Education Department in the 2026–27 Budget, underlining its continued focus on strengthening the sector. Of this, Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for the Vetri Laptop Scheme aimed at supporting college students, Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson announced.
Further boosting student mobility and access, the government has launched the ‘Puthiya Payanam Puthiya Vegam’ scheme, under which 5.32 lakh Class 11 students will be provided bicycles equipped with helmets and water bottles. The scheme has been allocated Rs 277 crore in the Budget.
The government has also unveiled a large-scale modernisation programme covering 3,734 government schools at an estimated cost of Rs 2,132 crore. An allocation of Rs 300 crore has been made for the current financial year to initiate the project. In addition, Rs 25 crore has been earmarked for restructuring and modernising the State school curriculum to align with evolving educational needs.
To improve hygiene and campus infrastructure, Rs 129 crore has been allocated for the ‘Super Clean, Super Campus’ scheme, which will be implemented across 10,000 government schools.
On the fiscal front, the Finance Minister announced plans to constitute a Revenue Enhancement Committee to identify new avenues for increasing the State’s income. The government expects to mobilise Rs 1,000 crore through a liquor production cess and an additional Rs 15,000 crore through various revenue measures as part of its broader resource augmentation strategy.