February 21st 2025.
The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, responded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's concerns about the three-language NEP Policy. He stated that it was not right for the state to only view the policy with a narrow perspective and twist its progressive educational reforms into a political issue.
Pradhan made this statement in a written reply to Stalin's letter, emphasizing that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is dedicated to promoting the rich Tamil culture and language globally.
Previously, Stalin had written a letter to the Prime Minister, expressing his disappointment over the delay in releasing Samagra Shiksha funds for Tamil Nadu and raising concerns about the three-language policy. The Tamil Nadu government had accused the policy of imposing Hindi on the state.
The Union Education Minister clarified, "Tamil is not just a regional identity, but a national treasure. Let me make it clear that there is no intention of imposing any language on any state or community. NEP 2020 supports linguistic freedom and ensures that students can continue to learn in the language of their choice." He further added that one of the main objectives of the policy is to revive and strengthen the teaching of Indian languages, including Tamil, which have been neglected in formal education for decades.
Pradhan also pointed out the importance of the three-language policy, which has been a crucial part of India's education system since 1968 but has never been implemented effectively. He stated that this has resulted in a decline in the systematic teaching of Indian languages, leading to an over-reliance on foreign languages and limiting students' exposure to their own linguistic roots. The NEP 2020 aims to address this issue by giving every Indian language, including Tamil, its rightful place in education.
The Union Education Minister expressed his disappointment with the political opposition to NEP 2020, stating that it deprives students, teachers, and educational institutions in Tamil Nadu of the numerous opportunities and resources that this policy offers. He reminded Stalin that the policy is designed to be flexible, allowing states to tailor its implementation to suit their specific needs. He also mentioned that centrally-supported programs like Samagra Shiksha are in line with NEP 2020 and PM SHRI schools have been established as exemplar schools for the policy. Therefore, it is not fair for the state to view NEP 2020 with a narrow-minded approach and turn progressive educational reforms into political threats.
Pradhan also urged Stalin to rise above political differences and consider the best interests of the young learners while looking at the matter holistically. He reminded him of Prime Minister Modi's statement during his visit to Chennai in May 2022, where he had emphasized the significance of the Tamil language and culture and the government's commitment to promoting it.
The Union Education Minister further highlighted the efforts made by the government to celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu and its influence on other parts of India. He mentioned the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam organized under the Prime Minister's direction to showcase the shared diversity and cultural connection between Tamil Nadu and other states. Pradhan also proudly announced that during the ongoing Kashi Tamil Sangamam, 41 classical Tamil literature works have been translated into Hindi by CICT and released by him and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He stated that it is a matter of national pride that Tamil is one of the oldest classical languages in the world and the oldest in India.
In conclusion, Pradhan reminded Stalin that the policy does not advocate the imposition of any language and urged him to look at the matter from a cooperative federalism perspective, just like many non-BJP states have done.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
