Three-language row: DMK misleading country, says Dharmendra Pradhan in Lok Sabha

Dharmendra Pradhan

Responding to DMK members allegation that the Centre is withholding education funds, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday accused the protesting leaders of misleading the country on NEP. Pradhan denied Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and other DMK leaders' charge of Hindi imposition in Lok Sabha.

Pradhan, during Question Hour, criticised the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government for taking a U-turn on the National Education Policy and the three-language policy, accusing them of politicising the issue. He called their stance “uncivilised and undemocratic” and claimed they were harming the future of Tamil Nadu students.

Tamil Nadu and the Centre are locked in a heated dispute, with the DMK accusing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliace (NDA) of attempting to impose Hindi language on the state through the three-language formula in the NEP. The Hindi imposition row has led to a war of words between the DMK and the state BJP unit of Tamil Nadu, where state elections are due next year.

The three-language formula was first proposed by the Education Commission (1964-66), officially known as the Kothari Commission. It was formally adopted in the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1968 under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The policy was reaffirmed in NPE 1986 under PM Rajiv Gandhi and revised in 1992 by Narasimha Rao’s Congress government to promote linguistic diversity and national unity.

NEP 2020 argues that learning in the native language improves comprehension, preserves cultural heritage, and enhances academic performance. The policy states: “Children learn and grasp non-trivial concepts more quickly in their home language/mother tongue.” UNESCO also supports this approach. In its report, Education in a Multilingual World, Unesco states: “Mother tongue instruction is essential for initial instruction and literacy and should be extended to as late a stage in education as possible.”