பேரறிஞர் அண்ணா தலைமைத்துவ விருது!

During the 2022–23 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi announced the “Perarignar Anna Leadership Award” to honour outstanding headmasters and headmistresses in government schools.

This award is based on a thorough assessment of the headmaster's or headmistress's work in improving school infrastructure, academics, co-curricular activities, and implementing government schemes.

A State-level evaluation committee assigns a score out of 500, assessing primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools across Tamil Nadu. Based on these evaluations, the top 100 performing headmaster/headmistress are honoured with the Perarignar Anna Leadership Award and a grant of ₹10 lakh each for school development.

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A Grand Celebration of School Education Department

The award ceremony for the academic year 2022–23 was held on 6 March 2024 at the Kalaignar Arangam near Tiruchirappalli Central Bus Stand, presided over by Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

The 2023–24 awards ceremony, marking a major milestone for the Department of School Education, was conducted grandly on 6 July at the National College Campus in Tiruchirappalli.

At the event: • 100 government school headmasters who effectively implemented state initiatives were honoured with the Perarignar Anna Leadership Award. • 76 schools were awarded the Professor Anbazhagan Award for excellence in teaching, learning, and teacher development. • 4,552 headmasters who took part in the 100-Day Learning Challenge received special recognition.

The Legacy of Leadership – Perarignar Anna

The Dravidian Model Government continues to celebrate the leaders of the Dravidian movement who dedicated their lives to Tamil Nadu’s progress. True to that legacy, the School Education Department honours headmaster/headmistress in the name of Perarignar Anna — a visionary educator, founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and champion of state rights and education rights.

Following in the footsteps of Thanthai Periyar, Anna’s public life was rooted in rationalism and self-respect. With powerful writing, compelling oratory, and tireless work, Anna emerged as the leader Tamil Nadu looked up to.

A towering figure shaped by Tamil and one who shaped Tamil in turn, Anna stirred emotions on political platforms with elegant Tamil, and was celebrated for his scholarly command of both Tamil and English — earning honours even from Yale University in the USA.

Anna founded the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to empower Tamils politically. He led the anti-Hindi agitation from the front, winning the people's support and safeguarding Tamil identity and language through unyielding conviction.

The people’s reward for his fight — the 1967 electoral victory that brought the DMK to power, making Anna the first to lead a regional party to form the government in independent India.

His tenure was marked by major milestones:

Renaming the Madras Province to Tamil Nadu
Establishing the Two-Language Policy (Tamil and English), rejecting Hindi imposition
Introducing the Self-Respect Marriage Act, encouraging rationalist reform
Hosting the Second World Tamil Conference in Chennai
Erecting statues of Tamil scholars along the Marina Beach
Replacing Sanskrit terms like Akashvani and Satyameva Jayate with Tamil equivalents like Vaanoli and Vaaymaiye Vellum
Nationalising bus transport — a first in India under his leadership

Perarignar Anna demonstrated how a State Government can assert cooperative federalism within the Indian Union and led pioneering reforms in governance.

Leadership Award: A Lifetime Honour

The Perarignar Anna Leadership Award, given in his name, is a lifetime honour bestowed by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department upon government school headmaster/headmistress. It celebrates those who excel in building strong school infrastructure, providing quality education, and nurturing scientific thinking among students. It is a reflection of the Dravidian Model Government’s commitment to honouring leadership rooted in service, vision, and social progress.