CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan exchanged allegations on Monday over the non-release of funds for the Samagra Shiksha (SS) scheme to Tamil Nadu by the Centre.
Citing a media report, Stalin in his ‘X’ post said the Union government was denying funds to the states that are performing better in the outcomes of the SS scheme just because they are not implementing the National Education Policy (NEP). On the contrary, the Centre is “generously rewarding those who are not delivering on the objectives,” he said.
“Is this how the BJP government plans to promote quality education and equity? I leave it to the wisdom of our nation and our people to decide!” he added.
Responding to this, Union Minister Pradhan accused Stalin of trying to pit states against each other to make a point about the non-implementation of the NEP. He also accused Stalin of using the issue for his political gains.
Pradhan further said that NEP 2020 was formulated through a wide range of consultations and has the collective wisdom of the people of India.
“Are you against education in Tamil? Do you oppose exams conducted in Indian languages, including Tamil? Are you against creating textbooks and content in Indian languages, including Tamil? Are you opposed to the NEP’s holistic, multi-disciplinary, equitable, futuristic, and inclusive framework of NEP?” Pradhan questioned.
The union minister further asked Stalin to prioritise the interests of the students of Tamil Nadu over his political gains and implement the NEP.