NEP Shouldn't Be Seen Narrowly or Misconstrued as a Threat, Dharmendra Pradhan to CM Stalin

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday replied to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's objections to the three-language scheme under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, criticizing the State for its position. He maintained that it was not equitable to view NEP 2020 from a narrow point of view and to misinterpret forward-looking educational reforms for political goals.

In his reply in writing to Stalin, Pradhan reiterated the importance of the Modi government's commitment to safeguarding and enhancing Tamil culture and language worldwide.

The reply followed Chief Minister Stalin having previously written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out the supposed denial of Samagra Shiksha funds to Tamil Nadu and protesting against the three-language formula. The Tamil Nadu government has made repeated assertions that NEP 2020's language structure foists Hindi on the State.

Rebutting these claims, Pradhan wrote, "Tamil is not just a regional identity but a national treasure.". I want to categorically say that there is no issue of imposing any language on any community or state. NEP 2020 reaffirms the policy of linguistic freedom and makes sure that students still study in the language of their preference. Actually, one of the central goals of the policy is to rejuvenate and fortify the education of Indian languages, such as Tamil, which have been increasingly marginalized in school education over the decades."

He also expanded upon the three-language policy as being a foundational base of India's education since 1968. Yet he made the observation that even as an element of historical education policy, its proper enforcement had not happened, which lessened Indian language emphasis in the schools. "With the passing of time, this has left students relying disproportionately on foreign languages, keeping them away from the linguistic origins they should know about.". NEP 2020 aims to rectify this historical neglect by providing a place for each Indian language, including Tamil, in education," he said.

Pradhan further contended that rejecting NEP 2020 on political grounds alone would deny Tamil Nadu's students, teachers, and institutions the advantages it has to provide.

The policy, he stressed, is flexible and permits states to adopt it as per their individual educational needs. He added that initiatives such as centrally-funded schemes of Samagra Shiksha align with NEP 2020, and PM SHRI schools have been framed as model institutions for its successful implementation.

"Therefore, it is not suitable for the State to see NEP 2020 through the lens of narrow vision and turn progressive educational reforms into bogeys to continue their political rhetoric," he asserted.

Terming Stalin's letter to the Prime Minister as a rejection of the cooperative federalism spirit, Pradhan explained that NEP 2020 does not impose any language on states. He noted that a number of non-BJP-ruled states have already adopted the policy in spite of political differences.

I would, therefore, urge you to transcend political differences and examine the issue in a holistic manner keeping in view the interest of our young students. The Prime Minister while visiting Chennai on 26th May 2022 had stated, 'Tamil language is eternal and Tamil culture is global. The Government is fully committed to popularising Tamil language and culture,'" Pradhan reminded Stalin in his letter.

He also emphasized the attempts of the central government to celebrate Tamil culture, pointing out the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam events, which were organized at the direction of the Prime Minister to bring cultural integration between Tamil Nadu and other parts of India.

"On the occasion of the current Kashi Tamil Sangamam, 41 classical Tamil literary works translated into Hindi language by CICT have been launched by me and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. It is a national pride that Tamil language is one of the world's oldest classical languages and India's oldest," Pradhan's letter ended.