Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday to set aside politics and fully implement the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP). He stressed that the central government’s efforts, including key funding, focus on boosting student welfare and opening up better learning chances for kids across the country.
Speaking to reporters at IIT-Madras in Chennai, Pradhan tackled ongoing concerns from Tamil Nadu about education funding. “I’ve addressed this in Parliament over the past two years,” he said. “The whole nation has embraced the NEP, and the Centre pours huge amounts of money into Tamil Nadu each year—for schemes like mid-day meals and more.”
Pradhan noted that Tamil Nadu Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and DMK MP Kanimozhi recently approached him about releasing funds. He made it clear: “The state needs to align with the Centre’s guidelines first for Samagra Shiksha funds to flow. These resources go straight to helping students, not political games. We should all collaborate with respect.”
The minister took a firm stand against the DMK-led government’s pushback on the three-language policy. “Why resist learning three languages?” he asked. “Tamil Nadu schools already teach Telugu, Urdu, and Malayalam. The NEP just encourages kids to master their mother tongue plus two others they choose. No one’s forcing a specific language on anyone.”
To drive the point home, Pradhan highlighted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s idea that students could benefit from knowing up to ten languages. “Multilingualism builds knowledge and future opportunities,” he added.
During the IIT-Madras event, Pradhan also shared his personal interest in Tamil, calling it a rich and ancient language. “I’d love to learn it,” he said. He touched on India’s shared cultural heritage—from Kashi to Tenkasi—and the need to start with a strong foundation in one’s mother tongue to tackle multiple languages.
Looking broader, Pradhan pointed to big challenges in school education. “India has 300 million students, but about 30 percent drop out after Class 12,” he said. “We must push for real reforms in school education to fix this and keep more kids in the system.”
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