Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has appointed former ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai the Chairman of the Curriculum Design Committee for School Education. The appointment, part of a reconstituted 17-member panel under the 2025 State Education Policy, will have a three-year tenure, and a mandate to modernise the syllabus for over 1.3 crore students in the state.
Officials from the department say that the change is aimed at emphasising critical thinking, skills like AI, and a stronger foundation in science and technology among students.
Annadurai, known as ‘Moon Man of India’, belongs to Kothavadi in Pollachi and has led India’s landmark space missions. He completed his early education in government schools near Pollachi. He did his B.E. in Electronics and Communication from Government College of Technology, Coimbatore, an M.E. from PSG College of Technology and a Ph.D. from Anna University. He joined ISRO in 1982, where he rose through the ranks over 36 years and contributed to more than 60 satellites.
One of his biggest achievements came as Project Director for Chandrayaan-1, which was India’s first lunar mission, launched in 2008. The project made the pathbreaking discovery of water on the Moon, and he was later involved in key leadership roles for Chandrayaan-2. He also served as Programme Director for the Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan, which successfully entered Mars orbit in 2014, making India the fourth agency to do so.
Later, as Director of the ISRO Satellite Centre during 2015–2018, he oversaw the development and launch of a record 30 state-of-the-art satellites. Beyond technical feats, Annadurai has long been a science communicator and has written popular Tamil books like Kaiyiruke Nila (‘Moon Within Reach’) and columns such as ‘Kaiyiruke Sevvai’ on Mangalyaan. He frequently visits schools and colleges to deliver talks to inspire students, emphasising the importance of dreams and teamwork.
Mylswamy Annadurai was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016, numerous ISRO and international awards, and honorary doctorates. Actor Akshay Kumar played a character inspired by him in a Bollywood film ‘Mission Mangal’.
Post-ISRO, he serves as vice president of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology and chairman of the Board of Governors, National Design and Research Forum, focusing on science outreach and collaborative research.
Annadurai’s appointment is widely welcomed as a step toward making Tamil Nadu’s education globally competitive. His role would involve the review of the existing curriculum and designing a curriculum that will help school children improve their knowledge of science and technology.
The committee will also include Right to Education activist Anantajit Makia in the committee. The committee currently comprises 14 members; among them are Madras University Registrar and physicist Rita John, IISER scientist T. V. Venkateswaran, and historian K. Rajan. The SCERT Director will act as member-secretary, with directors of school education, elementary education, government examinations, and private schools serving as ex-officio members.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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