Modi & Stalin “Deadlocked” Over National Education Policy and Delimitation is Creating “Panic”

2 months ago 33

Modi & Stalin "deadlocked" over National Education Policy whilst delimitation is "deeply alarming" & creating "panic": P. Thiaga Rajan, Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology & Digital Services, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. .......................................... In a comprehensive and detailed interview to discuss the serious differences and dispute between the Tamil Nadu government and the Central government over the National Education Policy and the Tamil Nadu government’s fears and opposition to delimitation in 2026, the state’s Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, P. Thiaga Rajan, has made clear that the Tamil Nadu government and the Central government are “deadlocked” over the National Education Policy, which the state government believes is an attempt to subordinate and subjugate through the imposition of Hindi. Mr. Thiaga Rajan says Tamil Nadu’s education system does not have the “bandwidth” to expand its time-tested and well-performing two-language education policy into a three-language formula. He does not believe that there is any state where the three language formula has worked better. In the second part of the interview, Mr. Thiaga Rajan spoke about his government’s fears of and opposition to the delimitation in 2026. He says that the threat of delimitation is “deeply alarming” adding it “drives me into a panic”. Mr. Thiaga Rajan said the short-term solution to the issue of delimitation is a further 25-year freeze during which time serious and effective steps must be taken, through promoting education and health in particular, to ensure that states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with far higher population growth levels, catch up with the southern states. I will stop there. This is a comprehensive detailed interview lasting just over 50 minutes and its only right and proper that you should hear Mr. Thiaga Rajan himself. The two issues discussed in the interview – the National Education Policy and Hindi as well as delimitation – are at the top of the news and Tamil Nadu is critical to the opposition to both. Mr. Thiaga Rajan explains his government’s position in detail and I don’t wish to paraphrase or attempt a precis of what he has said. It’s best he’s heard directly. To help you, I will give you the main questions. Obviously, the subsidiary questions, and there are many, are not included. Here are the main questions: 1) Why does Chief Minister Stalin believe that the National Education Policy imposes Hindi on southern states like Tamil Nadu when Yogendra Yadav, writing in the Indian Express (25/2), says it doesn’t even mention Hindi? 2) The truth is the three language formula was an integral part of the first and second education policy as well. More importantly, by omitting any mention of Hindi the new National Education Policy dilutes the formula. So if it was acceptable earlier how come it’s not acceptable now? 3) Again, I’m quoting Yogendra Yadav. What the National Education Policy requires is that “children should be taught any three languages chosen by the state, provided two of these three languages should be ‘native Indian’ languages”. He says Tamil Nadu could opt for Tamil, English and Classical Tamil. Surely that’s the solution for your state? - “The three languages learned by children will be the choices of states, regions and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India”. 4) Let me quote the Minister of State for Education, Jayant Chaudhary. He says: “Mr. Stalin himself knows four languages and is multi-lingual.” He then asks why is the Chief Minister reluctant to let children learn three languages? And it’s a fact that children can pick up languages very easily and quickly. 5) Why is Hindi such an anathema to Tamil Nadu? The impression is that this is not simply resistance to a language; it’s a visceral almost ideological rejection. How do you explain it? 6) Now in response to Tamil Nadu refusing to implement the National Education Policy, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has withheld funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan totaling Rs. 2,400 crores. How do you view that step? 7) Is Tamil Nadu prepared to forego the Rs. 2,400 crore the government has threatened to withhold just so that you can follow a two language policy? Won’t this affect school laboratories, text books, teacher training? Now you will have to find money for that from elsewhere in your budget. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWtJey46brNr7qHQpN6KLQ/join

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