Over the execution of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Tamil Nadu state government and the Indian federal government have got into a furious argument. Accusing the federal government of punishing the state for its policy rejection, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said The central government has refuted these claims, claiming that the policy is adaptable and does not mandate any language for any one state.
Tamil Nadu has always led the way in demonstrations against the Hindi mandate; this latest issue is a continuation of its long-standing resistance to central government language policies. The state government contends that the National Education Policy would upset the current educational system and runs counter to Tamil Nadu’s long-standing two-language policy.
What Regarding Language Education Does the NEP 2020 Say?
Introduced five years ago by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the National Education Policy 2020 is being rolled out in phases. The three-language formula is among its main clauses. Although the policy says at least two of the three should be “native to India,” it does not prescribe any particular languages.
Strongly opposed by Tamil Nadu, this clause will cause Hindi to be imposed in non-Hindi-speaking states. Currently using a two-language approach, the state teaches only Tamil and English at public institutions. Many Tamil academics and politicians contend that, particularly in the global job market, the two-language approach has been successful in guaranteeing good literacy rates and economic possibilities for students.
Why does Hindi cause controversy in Tamil Nadu?
In Tamil Nadu, language has always been a delicate topic. Fearing it would lessen the value of regional languages, the state has always opposed federal initiatives to encourage Hindi. Anti-Hindi demonstrations in Tamil Nadu have historically become violent, with the state spearheading opposition against Hindi’s adoption since India’s independence.
Recently expressing worries over the three-language strategy pushing Hindi upon Tamil Nadu schoolchildren, Chief Minister Stalin He said on X (previously Twitter) that Tamil Nadu would oppose any effort to impose Hindi, which has already excluded numerous regional dialects in northern India. He also maintained that rather than being marginalized in favor of Hindi, Tamil has a rich literary and cultural legacy that needs to be preserved and encouraged.
How has the Federal Government responded?
Denying claims that the National Education Policy aims to mandate Hindi on Tamil Nadu, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan “We have only said that education will be based on mother tongue – in Tamil Nadu, it will be Tamil; we have never said in NEP 2020 that only Hindi will be there,” Pradhan remarked. He also charged Stalin and his party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), of “mischief” and of purposefully increasing language hurdles.
Opposing parties in Tamil Nadu remain dubious despite government guarantees, claiming that past central government actions have subtly favored Hindi over regional languages. They worry that the three-language policy is yet another attempt to homogenize Hindi across India, therefore progressively diminishing the visibility of other languages.
What is the disagreement on financing for education?
Tamil Nadu has also complained that the state has been deprived of its fair chunk of money for the largely federal-funded school education program Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. According to reports, Tamil Nadu was obliged by the federal government to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) pledging to carry out the National Education Policy 2020 “in its entirety” to qualify for these monies.
In February Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Modi demanding him to release the money, which comes to about 21.5 billion rupees ($247 million). Declining assertions that it first agreed to the MoU and subsequently backed out, the DMK has said it never approved the terms of the NEP.
Why is the Three-Language Formula Faced with Opposition?
India’s educational plans have included the three-language formula since 1968, although it has always faced constant resistance. Tamil Nadu officials contend that while English offers worldwide employment, mastering their tongue, Tamil, improves students’ grasp of courses.
Recently challenging the necessity of a third language, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said, “Students have enough burden in classrooms. Along with learning three languages instead of two, you have to pick up so many disciplines.
Furthermore, some educators contend that making pupils study a third language could backfire, especially in cases when students already have difficulty with their current courses. They underline that rather than focusing only on learning more languages, education should be about depth of knowledge.
What historical background surrounds Indian language politics?
With hundreds of languages spoken there, India is among the most linguistically varied countries in the world. Only 22 are formally registered, though, and Hindi is still the most often used language—more than 46% of the population uses it, based on the 2011 Census.
Efforts to replace English with Hindi as a link language were undertaken as India acquired its independence in 1947. Non-Hindi-speaking states, especially Tamil Nadu, fiercely opposed this, though. The federal government established a law in 1965 guaranteeing the ongoing use of English alongside Hindi as demonstrations grew more violent.
Language policies have regularly caused controversy since then. Stalin attacked the Modi government in 2023 for changing Hindi laws from colonial-era names to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, therefore substituting the Indian Penal Code.
Declaring that “no other problem has caused greater controversy among educationists and evoked more contradictory views from our witnesses,” a government commission looking at the language issue in 1948–49 admitted its complexity.
The argument over Hindi is not new; every few years, identical issues reemerging cause fresh demonstrations and political clashes. Tamil Nadu’s lengthy history of linguistic conflicts helps to explain why it is quite wary about any changes in federal language policy.
Future Directions in the Argument on Education Policy?
The conflict underlines the continuous struggle between regional and national identities in India’s educational system as Tamil Nadu keeps rejecting the National Education Policy 2020. Tamil Nadu is cautious of any measure that would compromise its linguistic and cultural legacy, even if the federal government guarantees that no language will be mandated.
Greater freedom in language policies, allowing states to make judgments depending on their own linguistic and educational demands, is advised by experts in education as the best road forward. Let pupils choose to learn a third language on their own will instead of requiring it of all students.
The next months will decide whether a solution is possible or if this problem will widen the divide between the state and the center more. Tamil Nadu’s strong posture and past hostility to language imposition make this argument unlikely to be settled fast. It does, however, highlight the more general difficulty in a nation like India integrating regional language and cultural identities with national educational objectives.
Since the Constitution treats education as a concurrent topic, Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the National Education Policy could motivate other non-Hindi-speaking states to object to comparable linguistic policies. Language politics is projected to be a major topic of national debate as political parties get ready for the next elections.
