In a diverse country like India, languages not only help unify people but sometimes become a source of contention. This is particularly true when language becomes a political tool. The latest example of this is the political uproar over the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020's three-language formula, which Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister MK Stalin claims is an attempt to impose Hindi in the Tamil-speaking state. Is the three-language policy a creation of the BJP, and will it force Hindi onto states unprepared to teach it?
Allegation of Imposing Hindi
Tamil Nadu has accused the Centre of withholding ₹573 crore under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan because the state refused to join the PM SHRI initiative for setting up model schools. Tamil Nadu argues that its refusal is linked to the condition of implementing the NEP in the state. The Tamil-speaking state sees NEP as an effort by the BJP-led central government to enforce the three-language formula and thereby implement Hindi.
A senior CBSE official based in Delhi declined to clarify whether these languages must be studied only up to Class 8 or if they are mandatory for the Class 10 board exams as well. Combined with opposition against population-based delimitation, this anti-Hindi stance gives Stalin and his DMK party a strong footing against the BJP leading up to the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
Decision for Language Freedom
The stance taken by the DMK leadership is now crystal clear. However, Tamil Nadu's opposition to NEP also stems from proposed changes like a uniform entrance exam, standardized assessments, and vocational training. But the DMK chose to focus solely on the language issue. Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stated that Tamil Nadu has always opposed the three-language policy and will never accept it. The Centre intends to use the NEP as a backdoor entry for Hindi.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has tried to explain that NEP 2020 is about linguistic freedom and choices. He accuses the DMK-led government of politicizing language and creating linguistic disputes. Education is on the concurrent list of the Constitution, meaning both the Centre and states can make policies regarding it.
The Three-Language Formula in Schools
Schools across India implement three languages. Students particularly enrolled under central boards across India have studied three languages. In both CBSE and ICSE schools, students learn a third language until Class 8. This language can be Hindi, Sanskrit, a regional, or a foreign language, depending on the medium of instruction and the second language chosen by the student and school.
For example, an individual studying in a CBSE school in Tamil Nadu during the 1970s recounted that English was their first language. Hindi, Tamil, and some foreign languages were taught as the second and third languages. Typically, students who choose Assamese as their second language study it until Class 10 and Hindi until Class 8, and conversely, those selecting Hindi as their second language continue it until Class 10, learning Assamese only until Class 8.
Dual Language Trend in Some States
In northern and western India, students have also chosen Sanskrit as a third language because its Devanagari script is familiar, and it can yield relatively better scores. In states with boards like Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, students must take board exams in three languages. In fact, Kerala has made Hindi mandatory along with English while making the state language Malayalam optional alongside Arabic.
However, several state boards adopt a two-language formula. Tamil Nadu is one of them, with state government schools teaching only Tamil and English. While central boards teach three languages, some state boards continue with a two-language approach.
Origin of the Three-Language Formula
In education, language has always been a complex issue, both as a medium of education and as a medium of instruction. Remember, states in India were formed based on linguistic lines. The 1948-49 University Education Commission, chaired by Dr. S Radhakrishnan, deeply explored language in education. Known as the Radhakrishnan Commission, it advocated for Hindi as India's federal language and regional languages for provincial purposes. Its suggestion for three languages at the higher secondary level became the foundation of the three-language formula.
It proposed that educated India should become bilingual to participate in federal activities and promote nationwide unity and that students at higher secondary and university levels should learn three languages. It suggested that every boy and girl should be proficient in the regional language, be familiar with the federal language [Hindi], and have the ability to read books in English. The commission noted this is not an extraordinary demand and cited examples from schools in Holland, where most students learn four languages, and in Switzerland, where learning three languages is commonplace.
Recommendations of the New Education Policy
The New Education Policy (NEP), approved by the Union Cabinet in 2020, reintroduces the three-language formula, first proposed in the 1968 NEP. The 1968 NEP was based on the Kothari Commission report, which advocated promoting three languages in education.
- A modern Indian language other than Hindi and English, which could be a southern language in Hindi-speaking states. - Hindi and English, alongside regional languages, should form part of India’s non-Hindi-speaking states. - The goal was to develop Hindi as a link language and a medium of India’s composite culture. - NEP 2020 emphasizes using local languages in education and teacher recruitment.
While the 1968 NEP mandated Hindi, the 2020 National Education Policy offers states the option to choose the third language. The NEP 2020 document states that although the three-language formula will have greater flexibility and no language will be imposed on any state. It notes that the choice of three languages will be made by states and students, provided at least two are native to India.
Recommendations by the Radhakrishnan Commission
Educationist Navneet Sharma points out that the Radhakrishnan Commission advocated for the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, something that has been reiterated in all education policies, including those of 1986. He further said that there's nothing novel or unique about NEP 2020. Sharma told India Today Digital that there is no clarity on how NEP 2020 promotes three languages.
Navneet Sharma explains that students can progress with only one language in the Class 10 board exams, as the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023 groups all languages, including Hindi, into one category. However, NCF 2023 calls for the implementation of the three-language formula considering constitutional provisions, multilingualism, and national unity.
Objection from Tamil Nadu
NEP 2020 mandates students to learn three languages, two of which must be Indian. Additionally, NEP 2020 makes this and the three-language formula compulsory for the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme. This is where Tamil Nadu's primary objection lies, believing that NEP is a covert means to impose Hindi.
Finding quality teachers for regional languages other than Tamil could be an issue for the state government, while some experts suggest that Hindi teachers would be easily available. They argue this paves the way for 'back door entry' of Hindi into the state.
A Long History of Language Dispute
Tamil Nadu's opposition to Hindi traces back to 1937, when the Congress government in the Madras Presidency made Hindi mandatory in schools. This move was seen as detrimental to Dravidian heritage, resulting in widespread Tamil outrage. Periyar EV Ramasamy made anti-Hindi opposition a focal point of his Dravidian movement.
In 1965, the year Hindi was to be made India's official language, the state witnessed hundreds of deaths and widespread unrest. It was not until the Centre decided to shelve the plan that peace returned. Since Tamil Nadu has adhered to the two-language formula after the Hindi-centric NEP of 1968. Even today, spanning political divides, most parties in Tamil Nadu are united in opposing the three-language formula.
Any mention of three languages in Tamil Nadu schools is equated with imposing Hindi. The state government views the funds tied to the PM SHRI scheme for model schools as coercion on language from the Centre. Despite NEP 2020’s emphasis on local languages within the three-language formula, Tamil Nadu remains unconvinced. Although NEP 2020 does not enforce Hindi, Tamil Nadu argues it facilitates 'back door entry,' thus linking it with educational funds.
