BJP's K Annamalai demands statewide survey in government schools on language preference

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 21 : Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President K Annamalai on Friday demanded that a survey be conducted in government schools to determine the language students wish to learn. He said that the state government must appoint teachers on the basis of the survey results.
"A statewide survey should be conducted among government school students to determine which languages they wish to learn. Based on the results, teachers for those languages should be appointed accordingly," Annamalai posted on X.
Hitting out at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai said that the state government responded vaguely to the letter written by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan that there were not enough teachers.
"The Union Education Minister had written a letter to the Chief Minister MK Stalin asking them not to politicise the education of Tamil Nadu students. In response, the Tamil Nadu government, along with the usual vague excuses, has said that there are not enough teachers to teach languages other than Hindi," the BJP leader added.
He said that the Tamil Nadu government has acknowledged that the centre was not only introducing Hindi as the third language. However, Annamalai expressed his reservations over the fast appointment of teachers, implying that the DMK government in the state would not immediately appoint them.
"First, we appreciate that the Tamil Nadu government has acknowledged that the Union government is not introducing only Hindi as the third language. Given that several teacher vacancies remain unfilled, no one familiar with the DMK government would expect it to appoint teachers for other Indian languages immediately. However, the state government can certainly initiate the process," he added.
The BJP leader said that the Tamil Nadu government could ensure job opportunities for youth and collaborate with the Prime Minister Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme to secure a better future for school students instead of indulging in political debates over education.
"If the DMK government is willing, it can also ensure job opportunities for Tamil Nadu's youth who hold degrees in Tamil and aspire to become teachers by facilitating employment in border districts of neighbouring states. Therefore, instead of indulging in unnecessary political debates over education, the Tamil Nadu government should collaborate with the PM SHRI scheme to help secure a better future for school students and youth in the state," Annamalai said.
Earlier, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday strongly criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of raising "imaginary concerns" driven by political motivations.
Addressing a press conference, Pradhan emphasized that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is not imposing any language on a state.
"One point I want to re-emphasize is that the NEP is not recommending imposition of any language on the respective students of a state. That means, in no way is the NEP recommending the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu," Dharmendra Pradhan asserted.
He emphasised that the primary essence of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is to bring global standards to education, and simultaneously, it has to be rooted in India.