No wise man will accept 3-language policy in TN: Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

MADURAI: No wise man will accept the implementation of a three-language policy under the National Education Policy in Tamil Nadu, while the state government has successfully and effectively implemented the two-language policy, which is in practice, PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services said in Madurai on Wednesday.

While the Centre is keen to take on the three-language policy in education, he wondered how such a policy could be implemented in Tamil Nadu to replace the successful two-language policy.

Further talking to reporters, the Minister said the Centre could not implement a three-language policy, which is a failure, successfully anywhere in India.

Firstly, the three-language policy under NEP was implemented in 1968 during the Congress regime led by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But since then, many were just hinting about the policy and finally, it did not work out at all.

However, the state government’s primary target is to impart quality education to students with the available resources. Former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, who’s known as ‘Perarignar Anna’ was firm against the three-language policy and institutionalized the two-language policy, advocating Tamil and English as primary mediums of instruction and the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu is following suit.

With the Centre being inefficient in implementing the three-language policy in states, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the northern region, there’s no necessity to impel all states to adopt such a policy. Since 1968, English has been regarded as the second language in the academic syllabus. Therefore, if the second language was taught effectively, the need for a three-language policy would not arise.

Further, PTR said the Trilingual Policy Bill has not been tabled in the parliament and no funds allotted. Even there’s no law to empower the Centre to impose the policy in states.

Moreover, he said the bilingual policy itself could not be thoroughly implemented in many states and still there are states, which could not even implement a single language policy.

Citing these, PTR wondered whether the Centre’s forcing the trilingual policy into Tamil Nadu to belittle the obvious progress made by the state government in education.