The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government’s initiative to commemorate the centenary function of the late Chief Minister Karunanidhi through various competitions for school and college students under the banner ‘Kalaignar 100′ has sparked controversy. Critics argue that the programs are subtly designed to influence students with the party’s ideology, leading to concerns about the politicization of education.
Hindu Munnani State President, Kaadeswara Subramanium, has issued a press release strongly condemning what he perceives as the DMK’s attempt to indoctrinate students with their political views through school and college events.
Kaadeswara Subramanium said, “The school education department has announced competitions for school and college students on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister Karunanidhi. It is reported that the District Collectors are forcing the government staff to conduct these events. It is to be noted that the topic chosen for these competitions looks like the topic given to DMK training camps, which has shocked parents and educators. ”
In addition, he remarked, “In schools, we observe the birthdays of different leaders. For instance, Karmaveer Kamaraj’s birthday is commemorated as Education Day, and former President Radhakrishnan’s birthday is celebrated as Teacher’s Day. There is typically no political dimension to these occasions. However, the direct imposition of Dravidian ideology through the events by the DMK government is unacceptable. Doing so is reprehensible. DMK dares to do such activities thinking that students as slaves of the state government.”
Kaadeswara Subramanium further said, “The government headed by Chief Minister Stalin is constantly focusing on his father Karunanidhi’s centenary celebrations and taking various measures which make people frown. DMK under MK Stalin is attempting to create historical markers for their family lineage. However, the act of imposing Dravidian ideology onto students’ minds, in this pursuit, can be viewed as contradictory to democratic principles.”
He expressed, “Within school textbooks, their images have been coercively integrated into the curriculum, accompanied by inaccurate narratives about Dravidian leaders. Fabrications such as the claim that Dravida Kazhagam president E. Ve Ramasamy received South Asia’s Socrates award from UNESCO have been incorporated into Tamil Nadu’s educational materials. Despite the falsehood of these assertions, students are compelled to both read and reproduce them as responses in examinations conducted by the Tamil Nadu government. This, in turn, risks instilling incorrect information into the minds of students. Despite the Tamil Nadu government acknowledging these inaccuracies within the syllabus, the school education department appears reluctant to rectify them. It’s noteworthy that certain media outlets, which are disseminating misleading information, have refrained from addressing this issue.”
Subramanium went on to say, “Hence, the Tamil Nadu government should discontinue these authoritarian endeavors of advancing their ideology under the guise of Karunanidhi’s centenary commemorations. On behalf of Hindu Munnnani, we earnestly beseech the school education department to disallow any endeavors to propagate Dravidian ideology, even if undertaken by private entities. Swift and appropriate measures should be promptly taken by the Tamil Nadu government to rescind the competition announcement. We implore you to avoid any delays that might trigger student protests.”
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