Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has told the Centre that it would not introduce the three-language policy and continue with the two-language formula in the state.
“Tamil Nadu has always followed the two-language formula, which has been a success. The state government has already taken a decision to continue with the two-language policy in future also,” the state’s higher education minister K P Anbalagan said in a letter to Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, while reiterating the AIADMK government’s opposition to the controversial feature of the New Education Policy (NEP).
The minister also opposed the proposal to conduct entrance exams for undergraduate courses by the National Testing Agency saying the move would discourage rural students. “The Tamil Nadu government is not for such a proposal," he said in the letter dated September 4.
“The NEP was discussed with the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and all the senior ministers in the state. After detailed deliberations and as per the instructions of the CM, the Tamil Nadu government formed a seven-member committee headed by the higher education secretary to go through the policy and offer comments and recommendations that could be adopted by the state. Therefore, the state of Tamil Nadu would be in a position to submit detailed remarks in due course of time,” Anbalagan said in the letter.
Pointing out that NEP’s target of 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2035 will be achieved by the state in 2019-20 academic year itself, the minister said Tamil Nadu can achieve the ambitious target of 65% GER in 2035 due to various measures, including opening of new colleges, introducing new courses and increasing the capacity of the existing colleges.
On restructuring of higher educational institutions and making them autonomous degree awarding colleges, he said non-autonomous colleges are required to be nurtured suitably by affiliated universities and then improve their quality standards. “Hence, the present model of Tamil Nadu may be allowed to continue,” the letter said. The TN minister welcomed the move to convert BEd into a four-year integrated degree programme.
