Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin opposes the new education policy, raising concerns over language imposition.
New Delhi: In a democracy, how can a Chief Minister, holding a constitutional post, declare ‘war’ in the name of language, region, or community, and create a situation of unrest and anarchy in the state and the country through violent agitation? But to what extent can one justify militant rhetoric similar to the LTTE’s demand for a separate identity or a separate country, like Tamil Eelam? Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin appears to be adopting similar threats for his ruling party ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next year.
He has openly declared, “Our state is ready for another language war. We will not allow the new education policy to be implemented in the state.”
What is surprising and sad is that the Congress party is siding with Stalin on this issue. Historically, however, under the provisions of the Constitution, the use of the national language, Hindi, and the three-language policy were first implemented by Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, before the party split. Prominent leaders from South India, including Tamil Nadu, were with her in key positions. The Congress party led by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had even accused Stalin’s party, DMK, of having deep links with the LTTE and suspected them of being involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The world also knows that during the Indira-Rajiv era, many LTTE extremists sought refuge in the Rameswaram area of Tamil Nadu, preparing to create an independent “Tamil country” near Sri Lanka. They were unsuccessful, but over time, the DMK gradually pushed Congress out of Tamil Nadu politics.
Stalin has said that since 1965, DMK has made numerous sacrifices to protect the Tamil language. The party has a history of resisting the imposition of Hindi on the Tamil language. In 1971, DMK’s student unit in Coimbatore even said in an anti-Hindi conference that they were ready to make sacrifices to protect their mother tongue. For the party, this sentiment is deeply ingrained, and they believe it will persist for generations to come.
Before independence, in 1937, the interim Congress government had decided to make Hindi compulsory in schools, which led to a three-year-long movement against this decision. After the resignation of C. Rajagopalachari, the decision was withdrawn. This anti-Hindi movement is considered the beginning of the DMK. In 1950, the central government attempted to abolish English in schools and reintroduce Hindi, sparking another round of anti-Hindi protests in Tamil Nadu. Later, after negotiations, it was agreed that Hindi would be optional. In 1986, the education policy was implemented during Indira Gandhi’s tenure, and some amendments were made in 1992. Thirty-four years later, in 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a new education policy, which was developed by a committee of experts led by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan after consulting with hundreds of people and states. This policy was considered a step toward building India’s future.
From this perspective, I can say that the new education policy emphasises using the mother tongue, local, or regional language as the medium of instruction up to the 5th grade. The policy states that students in every state must learn three languages, one of which is Hindi. The first language will be the state’s mother tongue or regional language, and the second language can be chosen from any other language. Hindi is not a compulsory language; states can choose their second language. The third language can be English or any foreign language. It can be extended up to class 8 or beyond. Importantly, the policy clearly states that no language will be imposed. The goal of the new education policy is to provide quality education to every child in the age group of 3-18 by 2030. Since children between 2 and 8 years of age learn languages quickly, multilingualism is encouraged to improve cognitive abilities. The policy also aims to make efforts to employ a large number of language teachers across India for languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Additionally, states from different regions of India may enter into agreements to hire teachers from each other’s states to implement the three-language policy and encourage the study of Indian languages. Technology will be extensively used to promote language learning. Besides Indian languages and English, foreign languages such as Korean, Japanese, French, German, and others will also be taught at the secondary level, allowing students to enrich their global knowledge.
The three-language formula will continue with greater flexibility, taking into account constitutional provisions, the aspirations of the people, regional needs, and national integration. No language will be imposed on any state. The three languages to be studied will be the choice of the states, territories, and students themselves, as long as at least two of them are Indian languages. Students will also have the option to change one or more of the languages they study from Class 6 or 7, as long as they can demonstrate proficiency in three languages by the end of secondary school.
To preserve and promote Indian languages, the policy proposes setting up an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI) and strengthening Sanskrit and other language departments
In response to Stalin’s opposition, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated, “He is engaged in an imaginary battle that has nothing to do with the ground reality. Stalin is trying to cover up his governance deficiencies by opposing the National Education Policy. He should show a single sentence in the NEP where Hindi or any other language is imposed on any state. The first condition in the NEP is that students should be taught in their mother tongue until Class 8. Students learning in their mother tongue can develop critical thinking and become good decision-makers.” Pradhan further remarked that Stalin was raising the language issue as a diversion from governance issues.
“Even in my state of Odisha, languages like Telugu, Bengali, and Hindi are taught in border areas. So where is the problem?”
Pradhan pointed out that languages like Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada are being taught in schools even in Tamil Nadu’s border areas. He suggested that Stalin’s opposition might be driven by political compulsion, disconnected from the actual reality.
“Earlier, we had several rounds of talks, and Stalin agreed, but later backed out. It seems that a new leadership is emerging in his party that wants to oppose the NEP. Stalin does not trust his government and seeks to create a new issue to avoid answering voters.”
Pradhan also claimed, “No government since independence has worked more for the Tamil language than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He established the first Tiruvalluvar Cultural Centre in Singapore, which was praised by the global Tamil community. Tamil chairs were established in prestigious universities worldwide.”