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Following strong protests, CBSE restored regional languages and issued an appendix that all existing subjects and languages would continue to be offered. Education expert Dr. V. Neeranjanaraya VP said this “mischief” which should never have been in the first place.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also reiterated that the new education policy (NEP) 2020 does not impose Hindi on any state, which is dismissed by Tamil Nadu’s policy as politically motivated. (Image: Shuttersk)
The recent controversy over CBSE’s draft policy, which initially left several regional languages from its structure, has trusted concerns over the alleged push for Hindi in education policies.
Education expert Dr. V. Niranjanaradhya VP, who is also a frontline worker in a universal and general education system campaign, has criticized the move, arguing that all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the CBSE – or the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution should be respected.
He said, “Look at any circular, and you will see a clear agenda to push Hindi-or through a three-language formula or otherwise,” he said, pointing out that it is a trend since the first official policy in 1968. “Came out as a failure.
The latest CBSE draft, which proposed dual board examinations for class 10 from 2026, originally listed five main subjects: English (Language 1), Hindi (Language 2), Science, Mathematics and Social Sciences. Regional languages like Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi were not in the draft list.
After strong protest, CBSE restored these languages and issued an appendix that all existing subjects and languages would continue to be offered.
Neeranjanardidar called this “mischief”, which should never have been in the first place. “The CBSE board first removes these languages, then when there is a backlash on social media, it quietly brings them back. It is unfair,” he said.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also reiterated that the new education policy (NEP) 2020 does not impose Hindi on any state, which is dismissed by Tamil Nadu’s policy as politically motivated. Talking to journalists, Pradhan said that NEP promoted education in mother tongue, not only Hindi. “We never said in NEP 2020 that Hindi will be alone. Education will be in the original language. In Tamil Nadu, it will be Tamil, “he said.
His comment comes amidst constant resistance from the Tamil Nadu government, which remains in protest against the three-language formula of NEP, citing concerns on its impact on regional languages.
Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued an appendix for its draft policy to conduct two board examinations in class 10, clarifying that all languages would be introduced in 2025–26 academic session. “The list of subjects and languages in the draft date sheet is only signal. All the subjects and languages currently introduced will also be available in 2025-26, “read the CBSE statement.
After the draft policy was published on the CBSE website on 25 February, various stakeholders expressed strong opposition to the exclusion of Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi and other languages from the list of regional languages. Waking up to the lapse, CBSE issued a separate order to continue other languages in the Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi and regional language list on 26 February.
“This is not just mischief, it is done with intentions,” the educationist accused.
A systematic neglect of regional languages
According to Niranjanar, the push for Hindi is not new and has been systematically reinforced by national education policies for decades. “The way our policies are implicated and applied is based on the suzerainty of a language. This is completely wrong. The world is moving towards multi -languageism, but here, we are still putting the same language, “he said.
For example, in Karnataka, the Kannada Learning Act, 2015 said that all CBSE-Bed schools should teach Kannada as a second language. “The education is in the concurrent list, and this law has been in force for almost a decade. But CBSE schools in Karnataka have refused to implement it, “he said,” Ironically, these schools cannot work without any objection certificate (NOC) from the state government. So the law is not being implemented? ,
He questioned the selective implementation of policies, arguing that NEP 2020 is unclear about learning the language itself. He said, “The policy mentions ‘Home Language’ and ‘local language’, which makes a place for manipulation,” he said.
‘Keep children at the center of policy’
He also criticized the claim of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan that NEP does not push Hindi. “Look at the paragraph 4.1 of NEP 2020 – it is unclear. It only mentions ‘mother tongue’ in the end. Instead, it talks about ‘home language’ and ‘local language’, ‘except for different interpretations, “he explained.
He pointed to another contradiction in the implementation of NEP. “The policy states that the medium of education should be at least in the mother tongue up to class 5, and preferably up to class 8. This applies to all schools, including Kandria Vidyalayas, CBSE and ICSE Institutes. If so, why has this provision not implemented in the last five years? “They asked.
“The problem is what is best for students, instead policies are being made based on political interests. He said that children are primary stakeholders, yet they are never consulted in these debates.
As a March 9 deadline to response to CBSE’s draft approaches, the debate on language policy in education is expected to intensify, especially in the South Indian states who have long opposed what they see as Hindi.
