CHENNAI: Doubling down on his claim that Tamil Nadu government went back on its promise to implement the National Education Policy 2020 in state schools, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday tweeted a letter dated March 15, 2024, written by TN’s then Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena to the Union Education Ministry.
The letter, the minister claimed, is a proof that Tamil Nadu did a “U-turn” after agreeing to implement the PM-SHRI scheme, including the provisions to implement the National Education Policy and the three-language policy to get the funds under Samagra Shiksha (SS) scheme released.
The contents of the letter, which had already been reported by the media last year, said the state is “very keen” to sign the MoU for the PM SHRI scheme “based on the recommendations of the committee” it has constituted in this regard. The letter was sent to urge the centre to release the SS funds for 2023-24, which had been withheld until then, based on TN’s assurance that the MoU would be signed soon.
Releasing the letter, Pradhan questioned the “sudden change” in Tamil Nadu’s stance on NEP 2020. “Definitely for political brownies and reviving DMK’s political fortunes. This retrograde politics of DMK is a great disservice to the bright future of Tamil Nadu and its students,” he said in a post on X.
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, however, responded alleging that “spreading misinformation won’t change the facts”. He said there was ”no sudden change” as alleged by Pradhan since the March 15, 2024, letter clearly stated that the state will decide on the implementation based on the recommendations of the committee.
NEP undermines our education model: Poyyamozhi
“Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed NEP 2020 because it undermines our successful education model…If anyone is playing politics, it’s those who are trying to impose NEP & distort Tamil Nadu’s culture and legacy,” Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said.
It can be recalled that the SS funds for 2023-24 was released by the centre after Meena’s letter in March. Later in 2024, TN expressed willingness to sign a modified version of the MoU, by excluding the provisions related to NEP and three-language policy, which was rejected by Pradhan in his letter to Stalin on August 30, 2024. He asked Tamil Nadu to sign the MoU without modification for the release of SS funds for 2023-24.
In another post on X on Tuesday, Pradhan alleged that the DMK’s opposition to NEP 2020 was not rooted in concerns for Tamil pride, language and culture. Citing UDISE+ data, he contended that Tamil medium enrolment had dropped from 65.87 lakh in 2018-19 to 46.83 lakh in 2023-24, a reduction of over 19.05 lakh students in five years. He further said 67% of students are now in English medium schools and Tamil medium enrolment has declined from 54% in 2018-19 to 36% in 2023-24.
In government schools, English medium enrolment reportedly increased fivefold from 3.4 lakh to 17.7 lakh over five years. Tamil enrolment in government-aided schools fell by 7.3 lakh, reflecting a significant shift in preference. Pradhan described this as a “colonial mindset at play,” arguing that English is seen as the gateway to status and jobs while Indian languages are perceived as symbols of backwardness.
NEP will hurt education: CM
CM Stalin said TN is opposing NEP as it would destroy education in the state. “Injecting communalism, privatisation of education, public exam for kids, and NEET-like tests for all courses are some of the reasons for opposing it,” the CM said