Release edu scheme dues without NEP rider, Stalin urges PM

In a letter to Modi, Stalin said the release of the funds should not be linked with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which makes implementation of three language formula mandatory.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release ₹2,152 crore of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds for 2024-25 for the sake of “cooperative federalism” and “welfare” of lakhs of students, adding that their stand on two language formula is “non-negotiable.”

In a letter to Modi, Stalin said the release of the funds should not be linked with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which makes implementation of three language formula mandatory. (PTI)

In a letter to Modi, Stalin said the release of the funds should not be linked with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which makes implementation of three language formula mandatory. Tamil Nadu has a two-language one.

The Tamil Nadu government and the Centre have been engaged in a war of words over NEP with union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan terming the state government’s opposition as “political.”

“We all accept NEP, but they are not accepting the idea because of their political interest. I know education is in the concurrent list but to create competition among students, to create a level-playing field, we have to come to a common platform. This NEP, envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is giving emphasis to the mother tongue,” Pradhan said while speaking on the sidelines of 126th founder’s day of Delhi University’s Hindu College on Monday.

His comments were seen as a response to a post on X by Stalin on Sunday, in which the Tamil Nadu CM accused the Union minister of “blackmailing” the state by refusing to release funds unless it accepted NEP and the three-language policy.

In his letter, Stalin added: “This has created immense anxiety and unrest among students, political parties and the general public in our state. For many decades, Tamil Nadu has always been steadfast in its two-language policy, which was deeply rooted in its educational and social milieu. Hence, the state has been exempted from implementing ‘The Official Languages Act, 1963’, as mentioned in The Official Languages Rules, 1976.”

“The tremendous strides made by the 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,” he added, reiterating that any change in the two-language policy is “non-negotiable” for the state and its people.

In the letter, Stalin also pointed out that the state had already raised its strong concerns on other specific provisions of NEP through letter and a memorandum in 2024 and that despite the multiple representations, the SSA funds for 2024-25 remain unreleased.

“... the Union Government’s usage of such fund releases as a pressure tactic to coerce a state into adopting centrally mandated programs against its own time-tested state policies is a blatant violation of cooperative federalism,” Stalin said.

He argued that such a move would grossly undermine the states’ rights to shape their own education policies, based on specific needs. Due to non-release of funds under the ongoing scheme, several vital components towards teacher salaries, student welfare programs, inclusive education initiatives, RTE reimbursements for underprivileged students and transport for students in remote areas have been jeopardised, he claimed.

“To dissipate the unrest caused due to this issue, ₹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,” he wrote.

On January 31, Stalin wrote to Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi seeking release of funds for Centrally Sponsored Schemes worth ₹716 crore for anganwadis and women empowerment. He said that the state’s contribution to the Centrally sponsored schemes were being released in a time-bound manner but most often, the Centre’s share was being released only at the end of the quarter or in the subsequent quarters.