Tamil Nadu Government Job Preference for Tamil Medium Graduates

The Tamil Nadu government has issued guidelines regarding job preferences for individuals who have completed their education in the Tamil medium. This is based on the "Tamil Nadu Act providing for preferential treatment in appointments to certain posts under the Government to persons studied in Tamil Medium". The following details are based on Government Order (நிலை) எண். 16, dated 15.04.2025.

Key Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for job preference under this scheme, candidates must fulfill the following criteria:

• Candidates must have studied entirely in Tamil medium from 1st standard up to the required qualification for the job as specified in the relevant service rules.
• Simply writing examinations in Tamil does not qualify; the entire medium of instruction must have been Tamil.

Exceptions to the Rule

There are certain exceptions to the strict requirement of studying entirely in Tamil medium:

• Candidates who joined school directly between 2nd and 8th grade under the Right to Education Act and studied in Tamil medium are eligible.
• Candidates who began studying in Tamil medium in another state and continued in Tamil medium upon arriving in Tamil Nadu are also eligible.
• Candidates who initially failed in one or more subjects in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade public examinations, and later passed those subjects as private candidates, are still eligible if they continued to study in Tamil medium.

Certificate Requirements

Candidates must provide certificates from their educational institutions as proof of studying in the Tamil medium:

• Candidates must obtain Tamil medium study certificates from all relevant educational institutions up to the prescribed educational qualification.
• For school education (elementary, middle, high, and higher secondary), certificates must be issued by the Headmaster.
• For higher education (ITI, college, university), certificates must be issued by the Principal/Registrar.
• For private examinations, certificates must be issued by the Director of Government Examinations.
• Certificates must be provided by current staff only. Certificates from retired staff are not valid.
• If an institution is closed, certificates can be obtained from the District Educational Officer / Chief Educational Officer / appropriate officer (for schools) or the Registrar of the affiliating University (for colleges).

Verification Process

The recruiting agencies are responsible for verifying the authenticity of the Tamil medium certificates provided by the candidates:

• Recruiting Agencies / Appointing Authorities must verify the Tamil medium status using educational certificates, transfer certificates, and mark lists.
• Recruiting Agencies / Appointing Authorities must also verify the genuineness of the certificates from the respective schools and colleges.

Tamil Teachers

For the appointment of Tamil teachers, specific rules apply:

• Only candidates with a degree in Tamil Literature are eligible for appointment as Tamil teachers.
• Candidates with a "Cross Major Subject Degree in Tamil" (i.e., a degree in Tamil and another subject) should not be appointed as Tamil teachers. The School Education and Higher Education Departments will take action to implement this.

Reservation Quota

A 20% reservation is provided for Tamil medium candidates in direct recruitment for government jobs.

• The 20% reservation must be applied at each stage of the selection process (preliminary exam, main exam, interview, etc.) and for each post.

Disclaimer

This blog post is a summary of the information provided in the Government Order (நிலை) எண். 16, dated 15.04.2025. For complete and accurate details, please refer to the official government document.