Participating in the 40th anniversary celebrations of Sri Sivakumar Educational and Charitable Trust/Agaram Foundation, actor Suriya spoke extensively on the National Education Policy 2019, the plight of state school students, and also regarding the NEET for medical education.

Talking about the new Education Policy Draft, Surya said, "Most students and parents are not aware of the draft. It is sad that most have not talked about it. Also, the Kasturi Rangan Committee is not right to recommend that schools with fewer teachers should be closed. If those schools are closed, what will be the plight of students in villages? How is it fair to conduct a common entrance examination without providing equal education to everyone?

If everyone remains silent, the new education policy draft will be imposed on us. Everyone needs to wake up and realize what is going on in the education system. Everyone should have their say on the draft and voice out their opinion." (speech translated from Tamil)

Suriya further added, "Students who study without teachers cannot write entrance exams like NEET. The current annual revenue of NEET coaching centers is Rs. 5000 crore. In the future, those training centers will sprout like mushrooms. How is it justifiable to expect students to write those exams without providing the facilities to study?"