Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday asserted that the New Education Policy would not impose Hindi on states and Tamil Nadu’s opposition had “political reasons” behind it.
“We have never said in NEP 2020 that only Hindi will be there; we have only said that education will be based on mother tongue, in Tamil Nadu, it will be Tamil,” Pradhan told reporters here.
The comments by the Education Minister come amid a tiff between the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre over the implementation of NEP and the three-language policy.
“I don’t want to answer to the political ambitions of few people. NEP 2020 is focused on different languages of India, be it Hindi, Tamil, Odia, or Punjabi. All the languages have equal importance. In Tamil Nadu, few are opposing because of politics,” Pradhan said.
Earlier at an event marking the 126th Foundation Day of Hindu College at Delhi University, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reiterated the Centre’s stance on the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, emphasizing its role in employment and national integration.
“The three-language policy should be adopted in the country,” Pradhan said. “Considering the current social and economic conditions, the country requires a system where anyone from any region can find employment. This necessity, keeping in mind the social, cultural and economic needs, has been emphasized by experts and they suggest that the trilingual formula for education is a useful system.”