Reiterating that linking the two different Centrally sponsored SSA and PM SHRI Schools initiatives was fundamentally unacceptable, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the immediate release of Rs 2,152 crore of Samagra Shiksha funds for the state.The Prime Minister should intervene in the interest of cooperative federalism and welfare of lakhs of students and teachers, he said.
“To dissipate the unrest caused due to this issue, Rs 2,152 crores of Samagra Shiksha funds for Tamil Nadu for 2024-25 may be released immediately, without linking it to the implementation of National Education Programme (NEP) 2020. Considering the sensitivity of the issue, I look forward to your personal intervention in this regard,” Stalin said in a letter addressed to Modi.
Expressing deep concern over the recent remarks of the Union Minister for Education, indicating that ‘Samagra Shiksha’ funds for Tamil Nadu would not be released until the State implemented the NEP in its entirety and adopted the three-language policy, Mr. Stalin said it created “immense anxiety and unrest” among students, political parties, and the general public in the State.
“For many decades, Tamil Nadu has always been steadfast in its two-language policy, which is deeply rooted in our educational and social milieu,” Mr. Stalin said, further pointing out that Tamil Nadu has been exempted from implementing The Official Languages Act, 1963, as mentioned in The Official Languages Rules, 1976.
Stalin went on to say that even Central schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas that follow the three-language policy have not been established in Tamil Nadu because of the opposition to it. “The tremendous strides made by our State in the last half century and its trendsetting initiatives can be traced back to our progressive policy making, built on this two-language policy and social justice. The above would clearly exemplify that any change in our two-language policy is non-negotiable for our State and our people.”