Former ISRO Scientist Mylswamy Annadurai to Lead Tamil Nadu's Curriculum Design Committee

The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has reconstituted the Curriculum Design Committee, appointing former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Mylswamy Annadurai as its new Chairman. He replaces biologist Sultan Ahmed Ismail, who was asked to resign from the post earlier this year.

According to a Government Order issued by the department, the previous order constituting the committee has been superseded. All other expert members have been retained, including Puducherry University professor K. Rajan, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research professor T.V. Venkateswaran, and University of Madras professor Rita John.

In early June, Mr. Ahmed announced on social media that he had been asked to step down. Thanking former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, he wrote: “I just received an official call from the newly-formed Tamil Nadu government asking me to resign from this assignment as they are forming a new committee. All the best to the new team, and hope they follow the trend set by us.”

The Government Order states that the new committee will have a tenure of three years. Members will receive honorarium, travel allowance, and accommodation for their services. The department has already released textbooks based on the new curriculum for Classes I to III, and work is ongoing for higher classes.

In 2025, the Tamil Nadu government constituted two committees — a high-level Expert Committee and a Curriculum Design Committee — to overhaul the state's school curriculum. The curriculum revision aims to update educational content in line with contemporary needs.