TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ The Centre has backtracked on the three-language clause in schools after massive uproar. The Centre has now said that Hindi is not mandatory for students. Parties in Tamil Nadu including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Saturday strongly opposed the three language formula’s continuation with add-on features proposed in the draft National Education Policy alleging it was tantamount to “thrusting” Hindi and wanted it junked.
The Tamil Nadu government said it would continue with the two-language formula, seeking to cool frayed tempers. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in a series of tweets in Tamil said: “what is the meaning of three language formula in schools? The meaning is they will make Hindi a compulsory subject…”In another tweet, he said “If Hindi language is a compulsory subject its import is imposition of Hindi.” “The BJP government’s real face is beginning to emerge…” he also tweeted.
Meanwhile, “#StopHindiImposition, #TNAgainstHindiImposition trended on the microblogging site Twitter. The three language formula which bats for Hindi from “pre-school to class 12 was a big shocker,” and the recommendation would “divide” the country, DMK chief M K Stalin said.
The
draft National Education Policy, 2019 available on the government website said
the three-language formula will need to be implemented in its spirit throughout
the country, promoting multilingual communicative abilities for a multilingual
country. Schools in Hindi speaking areas should also offer and teach Indian
languages from other parts of India, it said. The three language formula,
followed since the adoption of the National Policy on Education 1968 and
endorsed in subsequent years will be continued.
