Implement NEP to get funds under SSA: Centre to Tamil Nadu in latest standoff over education

Chennai: BJP-led Union Government’s insistence that Tamil Nadu accept the three-language formula, which is interpreted here as nothing but a backdoor entry for Hindi, under the National Education Policy (NEP) if it wants funds under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has become the latest flashpoint between the DMK dispensation and the Centre.

The latest confrontation comes close on the heels of the Tamil Nadu government and Governor R N Ravi fighting it out in the open over the constitution of search committees for choosing Vice-Chancellors for state-funded universities.

While the state government stresses on a three-member committee, the governor wants a representative of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to be included as the fourth member. As a result of the standoff, six universities have been functioning without VCs for the past one year.

While Higher Education institutes have been a casualty due to the tug of war between the Governor and government for the past few years, the School Education department is now caught in the crossfire between the state and Central governments. School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi complains that the Union Government hasn’t released funds to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore and Rs 249 crore to Tamil Nadu under the SSA and PM Shri schemes.

“We have been nudging the Centre to release funds under the SSA which covers about 43 lakh students and two lakh teachers in the state. But the Centre says they will release funds within an hour of the state agreeing to implement the three-language formula,” Mahesh claimed.

The minister also said he was unable to understand why the Centre was exerting pressure on the state government to implement the NEP.

Though the Centre has been pushing the state government to implement the NEP by linking it to many schemes sponsored by it, the Tamil Nadu government is stonewalling every effort in this regard. A MoU to implement the PM Shri Scheme was not signed between the two sides due to differences over the language policy.

“There is no way we can accept a three-language policy. Why is that NEP is being pushed down our throats?” Mahesh asked.

Notwithstanding its opposition to NEP, the DMK has been taking a leaf out of the policy by rolling scheme like serving breakfast to government school students across Tamil Nadu.

The DMK government is planning to implement a State Education Policy (SEP) with “social justice” as its centrepiece and that is one of the reasons for the state to oppose the NEP.

The state, which witnessed two violent agitations against Hindi in 1938 and 1965, has been following the two-language policy of Tamil and English since 1968, a year after the DMK stormed to power, trouncing the Congress.

The language policy cannot be tinkered or tampered with language being an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu, where even political newcomers embrace the dual language policy and viewing a three-language policy only through the prism of “Hindi imposition.”

Prince Gajendra Babu, General Secretary, State Platform for Common School System in Tamil Nadu, told DH that the Union minister’s statement could attract violation of the privilege of Parliament as the Finance Minister while seeking approval for expenditure didn’t mention that the funds would be allocated only if states signed up for NEP.

“How can the Centre impose fresh conditions? The Centre cannot withhold funds as education continues to be in the Concurrent List. The Union Government mobilises funds through taxes raised from states and it is essentially the money of the states. The state government should be allowed to frame policies of its own,” he said.

The education activist also added that the “imposition of language” and the “dictatorial approach” of the Union Government cannot be accepted, while questioning the need to push a child to learn more languages.