A war of words has erupted between the chief minister of a southern Indian state and the federal government over an education policy that, among other things, also deals with what languages children are taught in schools.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government five years back and is being implemented in stages. It has made headlines recently after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin alleged that the federal government was penalising his state for refusing to implement it – charges Delhi has denied.
A section of the policy recommends that students learn three languages. It doesn’t mention any language specifically, but adds that at least two should be “native to India”.
Stalin has cited a number of reasons for not implementing the NEP. But it is his allegation that the three-language policy will lead to the imposition of Hindi – the northern Indian language that is the most widely spoken in India – in his state that has dominated headlines recently.
India, where states are mostly organised on linguistic lines, has nearly two dozen official languages, including Hindi, Tamil and English. But southern states have often protested against efforts by successive federal governments to privilege Hindi over other languages.
It is an especially sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu, which has historically been at the forefront of such protests.
The issue led to heated exchanges in India’s parliament on Monday, with federal Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accusing Stalin and his party members of “mischief”.
“Their only job is to raise language barriers. They are undemocratic and uncivilised,” Pradhan said, sparking protests by Stalin’s party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, in Tamil Nadu.
Source: BBC
