NEW DELHI: Combative Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday lashed out at the opposition amid a raging controversy around the three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP), saying at a time when “the world is discussing multilingualism, where are we trapped?”
Replying to a discussion on the functioning of his ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Pradhan said, “The DMK’s latest cacophony on language imposition and its stance on NEP’s three-language formula expose their hypocrisy. Opposition to NEP 2020 has nothing to do with preservation of Tamil pride, language and culture but everything to do with gaining political dividends.”
The minister said that the DMK bats for the promotion of Tamil language, but, the truth is that they have done little to promote and preserve Tamil language, literature and literary icons.
“As per the UDISE+ data, enrolments in Tamil medium dropped from 65.87 lakh in 2018-19 to 46.83 lakh in 2023-24, a reduction of over 19.05 lakh students in a period of five years. Sixty Seven percent of students are now in English medium schools, while Tamil medium enrolment has dropped from 54 percent (2018-19) to 36 percent (2023-24).”
He went on to add that in government schools, English medium enrolment jumped five times from 3.4 lakh to 17.7 lakh in just five years and Tamil enrolment fell by 7.3 lakh in government-aided schools, reflecting a deep shift in preference.
“These numbers reveal the real story—enrolments in Tamil medium are on a continuous decline. This isn’t just a shift in language preference, it's the colonial mindset at play. English is seen as the gateway to status and jobs. Indian languages are seen as a symbol of backwardness,” the minister noted.
“Encouraging education in the mother language is one of the most crucial aspects of NEP 2020. It is one of the surest pathways to foster critical thinking in young minds and unleash the full potential of India’s demography,” Pradhan said, adding that the DMK’s empty rhetoric on NEP and language imposition cannot hide their failure. Their agenda is crystal clear politics seeking power at the cost of the future of Tamil Nadu, he alleged.
Earlier participating in the discussion opposition members accused the government of forcibly thrusting on states the NEP and impinging on their autonomy. During the discussion Kanimozhi NVN Somu (DMK) and Ritabrata Banerjee (TMC) accused the Centre of withholding funds meant for education programmes in the opposition ruled states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Somu said India has had many illustrious education ministers but after the reign of the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the education ministry has faced challenges particularly with “irrational policy decisions”.
“Under his leadership there has been a discernible shift that has infringed upon the state’s autonomy, deviating from established federal principles and undermining the intensive framework of development and inclusive governance,” she said.
Somu alleged that from 2014-16, there has been “centralisation and curriculum changes” and from 2016-19, NEET was implemented “undermining state autonomy”. She went on to add that from 2021 to present day, the government has implemented the “NEP language policies, infringing on the state autonomy and cancelling MP quota in KV schools.”
“Without any consultations with the state governments, the NEP has been forcibly thrusted upon states,” Banerjee said, adding the West Bengal government was forced to stop the four-year graduation course with interdisciplinary and mulit-disciplinary framework.
