timeline

• 1826 - Board of Public Instructions established
• 1841 - First High School opened in Madras
• 1849 - High Schools for Girls Opened
• 1854 - Directorate of Public Instruction established
• 1892 - Madras Educational Rules enforced
• 1910 - Board of Secondary Education established
• 1911 - SSLC Public Examination conducted for the first time
• 1921 - Madras Elementary Educational Rules enforced
• 1924 - Compulsory and Free Education introduced in some selected places
• 1953 - Directorate of Legal Studies established
• 1955 - Pension Scheme for Teachers introduced
• 1956 - Midday-meal programmes implemented
• 1957 - Directorate of Technical Education established
• 1960 - Scheme for Free supply of Uniforms for School Children organised
• 1964 - Introduction of Free Education up to high school level
• 1965 - Directorate of Collegiate Education established
• 1969 - Tamil Nadu Text-book Society established
• 1972 - Directorate of Public Libraries established
• 1973 - Directorate of Government Examinations and SCERT established
• 1976 - Directorate of Non-formal and Adult Education established
• 1978 - Higher Secondary Education (10+2) introduced
• 1981 - Teachers in Panchayat Union Schools become Government Employees
• 1982 - Nutrition Meal Scheme introduced
• 1985 - Free Supply of Text Books and Uniforms up to VIII Standard extended.
• 1986 - Directorate of Elementary Education established. Implementation of National Policy on Education, Teachers in Municipal/Township/Corporation become Government Employees.
• 1988-1990: Introduction of revised syllabus based on National Policy for I -XII standards
• 1990: Directorate of Teacher Education Research and Training established.
• 1995-96: Introduction of revised syllabus for classes I-XII
• 1997: The separate Department of School Education was formed in 1997, after bifurcation from the Education, Science & Technology Department under the administration of Principal Secretary to Government at Secretariat
• 2001: Directorate of Matriculation School formed.
• 2010: Introduced Samacheer Kalvi-Tamil Nadu Uniform System of School Education through the Tamil Nadu Uniform System of School Education Act, 2010