Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin says he will not implement the National Education Policy (NEP) if the Centre offers Rs 10,000 crore in funds. The row over the implementation of the policy in Tamil Nadu and the three-language formula in NEP has escalated. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan responded sharply to Mr Stalin’s claims and criticism over the policy. He said Mr Stalin is creating a \”false narrative\” of Hindi imposition, which is politically motivated. The minister insisted that Tamil Nadu had agreed to the implementation. of the NEP earlier, but made a U-turn on the issue for political reasons. The Centre has said this clause is necessary as previous education policies neglected the systematic teaching of Indian languages leading to an \”over-reliance\” on foreign languages and it aims to restore languages like Tamil to their \”rightful place in education\” The row has escalated and Mr Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, complaining that the Centre had threatened to withhold Rs 2,000. crore for a centrally sponsored initiative. The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan seeks to integrate vocational education with general academic education by linking it to NEP.
