Tamil Nadu has for long followed a 2 language policy as opposed to the 3 language policy followed in most other States. As the compliance to the Education Policy has not been mandatory this has not led to a major problem for the students thus far. Until the New National Education Policy was adopted in 2020. The Centre began linking many of their schemes to compliance with the NEP. This has led to the present situation.
In February 2024 the Union Government wrote to the Tamil Nadu Education Secretary about the delay in the State signing the MOU for joining the PM SHRI schools scheme. In March 2024 the Tamil Nadu Government replied saying they were keen to sign the MOU and a committee had been set up to look into the matter. They said based on the recommendation of the committee the State hoped to sign the MOU before the start of the Academic year 2024-25. The letter also asked for the release of pending dues for the Samaghra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
In August 2024 the Tamil Nadu Government sent another letter informing the Union Government that they were willing to sign the MOU as long as the reference to the NEP in the PM SHRI schools scheme was removed. Since then there has been a stalemate. The Centre which had released the funds in the previous years based on the assurances of the Tamil Nadu Government has now withheld over ₹2150 crore of amount due to Tamil Nadu under the Samaghra Shiksha Abhiyan.
The Tamil Nadu Government argues that there is no connection between the SSA and the PM SHRI schools scheme and the funds for SSA cannot be withheld for not signing up for the PM SHRI school scheme. However, the Centre says that the SSA has been designed to be NEP compliant and so is the PM-SHRI scheme.
Curiously, the TN Government that has not hesitated to take the Centre to Court on several issues is yet to move legally on the matter of the pending dues. Instead the ruling DMK has gone to town on mainstream and social media with their old charge of the BJP Government at the Centre victimising the people pf Tamil Nadu by trying to impose Hindi through the back door.
Chief Minister M.K.Stalin wrote to Prime minister Modi on the issue and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan replied to the Chief Minister accusing him of politicising the issue. All of this made for good drama and grabbed media attention but achieved very little.
The NEP does not compel anyone to learn Hindi. What is does though is to emphasise the 3 language formula with the third language being any Indian language. The DMK argues that since teachers in other languages, especially non South Indian languages, may be difficult to find in Tamil Nadu this would mean forcing more students to learn Hindi.
The war of words on the NEP between the DMK and the BJP is seen by many in Tamil Nadu as a fixed match. The ruling DMK Government is more than happy to flash the victim card and stoke emotions on its favourite language issue. This also serves to divert attention from the several failures of the State Government such as non implementation of several poll promises and on the law and order issue.
For the BJP it helps pitch them as the principal rival to the DMK. For the last 5 years the BJP in the State has hoped to weaken the AIADMK and emerge as the principal opponent to the DMK. The DMK seems happy to play along. As many senior journalists have pointed out, the fact that the DMK leaders have been spared the attention of the Central Agencies over the last few years has not gone unnoticed. In fact, they are possibly the only Opposition party to have gone almost unscathed.
Until the Tamil Nadu Government goes to Court on this issue, that is, if they have the conviction that justice is on their side, the recent fracas over the NEP and the 3 language formula will be seen as little more than political theatre. The only ones who would suffer would be the poor students in Government schools.
—The author, Sumanth C. Raman, is a political analyst and commentator. The views expressed are personal.
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