NEW DELHI: Combative Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday lashed out at the opposition amid a raging controversy around the three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP), saying at a time when “the world is discussing multilingualism, where are we trapped?”Replying to a discussion on the functioning of his ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Pradhan said, “The DMK’s latest cacophony on language imposition and its stance on NEP’s three-language formula expose their hypocrisy. Opposition to NEP 2020 has nothing to do with preservation of Tamil pride, language and culture but everything to do with gaining political dividends.”The minister said that the DMK bats for the promotion of Tamil language, but, the truth is that they have done little to promote and preserve Tamil language, literature and literary icons.“As per the UDISE+ data, enrolments in Tamil medium dropped from 65.87 lakh in 2018-19 to 46.83 lakh in 2023-24, a reduction of over 19.05 lakh students in a period of five years. Sixty Seven percent of students are now in English medium schools, while Tamil medium enrolment has dropped from 54 percent (2018-19) to 36 percent (2023-24).”He went on to add that in government schools, English medium enrolment jumped five times from 3.4 lakh to 17.7 lakh in just five years and Tamil enrolment fell by 7.3 lakh in government-aided schools, reflecting a deep shift in preference.“These numbers reveal the real story—enrolments in Tamil medium are on a continuous decline. This isn’t just a shift in language preference, it’s the colonial mindset at play. English is seen as the gateway to status and jobs. Indian languages are seen as a symbol of backwardness,” the minister noted.
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