Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that Tamil Nadu will not implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, citing concerns that go beyond the imposition of language. He stated that the policy would drive students away from education.
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, has announced that the state will not adopt the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Tamil Nadu will persist in its opposition to the NEP, even if the Centre proposes funding the state with Rs 10,000 crore, as MK Stalin states that this resistance is due not only to the “imposition” of Hindi on the state but also to other issues that could impact students’ futures.
“While we are not against any language, we will stand firm against its imposition. Our opposition to the NEP is not solely due to its attempt to impose Hindi; there are various other reasons for our stance as well. The NEP does not progress forward. At a Parent-Teachers Association event in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore, Stalin remarked, “It will drive students away from schools.” “The Centre claims that Tamil Nadu will receive Rs 2,000 crore if the state puts the NEP into action. I want to express that we will not accept the NEP, even if the Centre proposes Rs 10,000 crore. He added, “I will not permit the NEP and commit the sin of pushing Tamil Nadu back by 2,000 years.“
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MK Stalin expressed his grievance that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had issued a threat regarding the withholding of Rs 2,000 crore from the centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan unless Tamil Nadu adopted the NEP.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in his correspondence with MK Stalin, emphasized that there was “no question of imposing any language upon any state or community,” as linguistic freedom was a fundamental tenet of the policy. He further wrote: “The continued political opposition to NEP 2020 deprives students, teachers, and educational institutions in Tamil Nadu of the immense opportunities and resources provided by this policy.”
Stalin had previously stated that the initiative was intended to promote Hindi, not to promote education under the guise of an education policy, which would be rejected if done explicitly.
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