‘Don’t Push Hindi’: South India Slams CBSE’s Three-Language Formula, Experts Say ‘Focus On Children’ – News18

Last Updated:March 04, 2025, 12:28 IST

Following strong opposition, the CBSE reinstated regional languages and issued an addendum clarifying that all existing subjects and languages would continue to be offered. Education expert Dr V Niranjanaradhya VP called this “mischief” that should never have happened in the first place.

The recent controversy over CBSE’s draft policy, which initially omitted several regional languages from its framework, has reignited concerns over the alleged push for Hindi in education policies.

Education expert Dr V Niranjanaradhya VP, who is also a frontline activist in the campaign for a universal and common education system, has criticised the move, arguing that any policy statement or circular issued by CBSE — or the central government — must respect all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

“Look at any circular, and you’ll see a clear agenda of pushing Hindi — either through the three-language formula or otherwise,” he said, pointing out that this has been the trend since the first official policy in 1968. “In South India, states have largely followed the three-language formula, including Hindi as a third language. But in North India, where they were supposed to learn a South Indian language alongside Hindi and English, the formula was never properly implemented, and it turned out to be a failure. That’s why there is so much resistance to it today from the south.”

The latest CBSE draft, which proposed dual board exams for Class 10 from 2026, originally listed five main subjects: English (Language 1), Hindi (Language 2), Science, Mathematics, and Social Science. Regional languages like Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Punjabi were not in the draft list.

Following strong opposition, the CBSE reinstated these languages and issued an addendum clarifying that all existing subjects and languages would continue to be offered.

Niranjanaradhya called this “mischief” that should never have happened 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. This 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, dismissing Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the policy as politically motivated. Speaking to journalists, Pradhan asserted that the NEP promotes education in the mother tongue, not just Hindi. “We have never said in NEP 2020 that Hindi alone will be there. Education will be in the native language. In Tamil Nadu, it will be Tamil,” he said.

His remarks come amid continued resistance from the Tamil Nadu government, which remains opposed to the NEP’s three-language formula, citing concerns over its impact on regional languages.

Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued an addendum to its draft policy for conducting two board exams in Class 10, clarifying that all languages will continue to be offered in the 2025-26 academic session. “The list of subjects and languages in the draft date sheet is only indicative. All subjects and languages currently offered will continue to be available in 2025-26 as well,” the CBSE statement read.

After the draft policy was published on the CBSE website on February 25, various stakeholders expressed strong opposition on X over the exclusion of Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, and other languages from the list of regional languages. Waking up to the lapse, the CBSE issued a separate order on February 26 to continue Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, and other languages in the regional language list.

“This is not just mischief, it has been done with intent,” alleged the educationist.

A Systematic Neglect of Regional Languages

According to Niranjanaradhya, the push for Hindi is not new and has been systematically reinforced by national education policies over decades. “The way our policies are framed and implemented is based on the hegemony of one language. This is completely wrong. The world is moving towards multilingualism, but here, we are still imposing a single language,” he said.

In Karnataka, for instance, the Kannada Learning Act, 2015 mandates that all CBSE-affiliated schools must teach Kannada as a second language. “Education is on the Concurrent List, and this law has been in force for nearly a decade. But CBSE schools in Karnataka have simply refused to implement it,” he pointed out, adding, “Ironically, these schools cannot even operate without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government. So why is the law not being enforced?”

He questioned the selective implementation of policies, arguing that the NEP 2020 itself is ambiguous about language learning. “The policy mentions ‘home language’ and ‘local language’ without clearly defining ‘mother tongue,’ which creates space for manipulation,” he said.

‘Keep Children at the Centre of Policy’

He also criticised Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s claim that the NEP does not push Hindi. “Look at Paragraph 4.1 of the NEP 2020—it is vague. It mentions ‘mother tongue’ only at the end. Instead, it talks about ‘home language’ and ‘local language,’ leaving room for different interpretations,” he explained.

He pointed out another contradiction in the NEP’s implementation. “The policy states that the medium of education should be in the mother tongue at least until Class 5, and preferably until Class 8. This applies to all schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, CBSE, and ICSE institutions. If that’s the case, why hasn’t this provision been implemented in the last five years?” he asked.

“The problem is that policies are being made based on political interests rather than what is best for students. Children are the primary stakeholders, yet they are never consulted in these debates,” he said. “Instead of prioritising political agendas, the focus should be on what is best for the child’s learning,” he added.

As the March 9 deadline for feedback on CBSE’s draft approaches, the debate over language policy in education is expected to intensify, especially in South Indian states that have long resisted what they see as an imposition of Hindi.