NEP war breaks out again as Stalin, Pradhan trade charges

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday slammed the BJP-led Union government accusing it of denying funds under Samagra Shiksha scheme for best-performing states like Tamil Nadu for refusing to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Responding to it, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Stalin of trying to pit states against each other to make a point about non-implementation of the contentious policy. Meanwhile, the opposition AIADMK blamed both the State and Centre over the issue.

"Denying funds to the best-performing states for refusing to bow to NEP, while generously rewarding those who are not delivering on the objectives. Is this how the Union BJP government plans to promote quality education and equity? I leave it to the wisdom of our nation and our people to decide,” Stalin said in a social media post.

Ever since the Centre unveiled the policy, the DMK has been opposing it and has also tried to rally the different states, especially the ones ruled by the opposition parties, against the Centre’s ‘intrusion’ into education, which is in the concurrent list, without taking State governments into confidence.

Hitting back, Pradhan said: "Healthy competition amongst the states is always welcome in a democracy. However, pitting states against each other to make a point goes against the spirit of the Constitution and the value of a unified India. NEP 2020 was formulated through wide range of consultations and has the collective wisdom of the people of India.”

The Union Education Minister also questioned Stalin on the State's opposition to NEP. "Are you opposing education in mother tongue, including Tamil? Are you opposing the conduct of exams in Indian languages including Tamil? Are you opposing the creation of textbooks and content in Indian languages including Tamil? Are you opposed to the holistic, multi-disciplinary, equitable, futuristic and inclusive framework of NEP," he questioned.

Joining the issue, AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan blamed CM Stalin over the row with the Centre though he admitted that the then AIADMK regime, too, faced the same problem of not receiving funds on time from the Centre.

The DMK should spell out steps it had taken to bring back education from the concurrent to the State list of the Constitution when it shared power at the Centre for over a decade. "Irrespective of whoever is in power, BJP or Congress, they always treat Tamil Nadu as children of lesser gods and we don't receive the funds at the appropriate time,” he said.