Chennai: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has declared that the Centre will withhold funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) unless the Tamil Nadu government implements the three-language policy outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP). The minister accused the ruling DMK of politicizing the matter at the expense of students’ welfare.
The statement was made after an event at IIT Madras, where Pradhan addressed reporters. He stressed that while the central government continues to provide support for other initiatives like the mid-day meal scheme, allocations under Samagra Shiksha would remain linked to adoption of the NEP’s language framework.
Funding Linked to Policy Compliance
Pradhan reiterated that the release of funds depends directly on implementing the three-language formula. “I have clearly told them,” he said, referring to a recent meeting with Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh and DMK MP Kanimozhi. “We will provide the Samagra Shiksha education fund only if the agreement of the Central Government is accepted.”
He expressed frustration that what should be an education-focused issue has been turned into a political dispute. “I have been talking about the issue of education funding for two years. The Tamil Nadu government views this matter as a political issue,” he said, urging mutual respect and cooperation for the sake of students.
“No Imposition, Only Choice”
The Union Minister defended the three-language policy, emphasizing that it does not impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states. According to the policy, two languages must be taught between Classes 1 to 5, and three languages from Classes 6 to 10. One must be the student’s mother tongue, while the other two can be any languages chosen from a prescribed list.
“Languages including Telugu, Urdu, and Malayalam are taught in Tamil Nadu’s state curriculum schools. The NEP aims to ensure learning of two languages in addition to the mother tongue. The third language can be any of the student’s choice. Therefore, the Central Government is not imposing any language on any state,” Pradhan explained.
To strengthen his case, he recalled Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s past suggestion that students should ideally learn up to ten languages to expand opportunities.
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