Tamil Nadu protests against Centre’s Draft Education Policy

New Delhi: Parties in Tamil Nadu on Saturday strongly opposed the three language formula’s continuation. The new add-on features proposed in the draft National Education Policy alleging it was tantamount to “thrusting” Hindi and wanted it junked.

The draft proposes for the adoption of a three-language formula in schools — Hindi, English and the local mother tongue in non-Hindi states.

Parties of every political shade — from the opposition, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to the Left and actor Kamal Haasan’s fledgeling Makkal Needhi Maiam — slammed the report, which they saw as a precursor to the imposition of Hindi. Pro-Tamil parties projected it as a Dravidian versus Aryan fight.

“The DMK will never allow the imposition of Hindi. It will raise its voice in Parliament and outside and strive to stall it,” DMK’s newly elected Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said.

Although the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was muted in its response, the Tamil Nadu government maintained that the state will persist with a two-language formula – Tamil and English.

“Tamil Nadu will continue to have the two-language formula and there is no move to either change it or dilute it,” AIADMK veteran and education minister KA Sengottaiyan said.

Meanwhile, Twitter erupted with severe criticism for the central government and #StopHindiImposition, #TNAgainstHindiImposition were the top trends on Saturday.

Facing the backlash, education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the suggestions were just a report and not policy yet. “It’s not the policy. Public feedback will be sought. It’s a misunderstanding that it has become a policy. No language will be imposed on any state,” he said.

The current National Education Policy was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992. New education policy was part of the BJP’s manifesto ahead of the 2014 general election.

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