The ongoing debate surrounding the new education policy has sparked significant controversy in Tamil Nadu politics. While the Tamil Nadu government seems to not want to take any action on the matter, the Central government is accused by the Dravidianists of trying to exert influence over the education funds allocated to the state.
BJP state president Annamalai earlier released a video addressing the issue, accusing the DMK-led government of hypocrisy regarding its stance on teaching Hindi in schools. Annamalai pointed out that, despite the state’s resistance to implementing the trilingual education policy, schools run by DMK ministers and officials still teach Hindi. This, according to him, highlights a contradiction in the government’s position.
தனியார் பள்ளிகளில் படிக்கும் திமுகவினரின் குழந்தைகள் மட்டும் மூன்று மொழிகள் கற்கலாம். அரசுப் பள்ளிகளில் படிக்கும் ஏழை எளிய மக்களின் குழந்தைகள் படிக்க வாய்ப்பு மறுப்பதா?
அரசுப் பள்ளிகளில் இலவசமாக மூன்று மொழிகள் கற்கும் வாய்ப்பை ஏன் தடுக்கிறீர்கள்?
உங்களுக்கொரு நியாயம், எளிய… pic.twitter.com/QTOKBq2AqR
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 17, 2025
Speaking to reporters at the BJP headquarters in Kamalalayam on 18 February 2025, Annamalai emphasized the growing preference for private schools over government institutions. He stated that CBSE students are taught Hindi, while matriculation school students are given the option of choosing other languages. However, he pointed out that government schools continue to teach only two languages, which has led many parents to move their children to private schools. Annamalai suggested that this shift is inadvertently creating a ₹30,000 crore market for private education, something the DMK government might not have foreseen.
The controversy also extended to prominent political figures. Seeman, leader of the political party Naam Tamilar Katchi, had advocated for learning Hindi as a third language in his 2016 election manifesto, a position that was at odds with the DMK’s current stance on the issue.
Annamalai also highlighted the case of Vijay, leader of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, who operates a private CBSE school in Padur called Vijay Vidyashram.
He said, “TVK chief Vijay runs a CBSE school in Padur. It is called Vijay Vidyashram. See the name, C Joseph Vijay. Who is this C Joseph Vijay? His land has been leased for 35 years from 2017 to 2052 to a trust. The trust is registered under the name of SA Chandrasekhar and the school run by this trust is Vijay Vidyashram. What do some political leaders think – they run CBSE schools and Hindi is taught in these schools, and their own children learn French. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi’s son is studying French. What do these politicians think when they say government school students should only study 2 languages – be it TVK leader Vijay or Seeman or TN’s Education Minister Anbil Mahesh? I am not delving into the DMK family-run Sunshine school.”
View this post on Instagram
This, according to Annamalai, adds fuel to the debate regarding the DMK government’s position on the trilingual education policy.
In addition to this, DMK MP Kalanidhi Veeraswamy runs a matriculation school called Chennai Public School. In this school, students have the option to choose English as their first language, while other languages such as Hindi, French, and Tamil are offered as second languages.
Annamalai questioned whether political leaders running schools with CBSE curricula were unknowingly supporting the very policy they publicly criticize.
(With inputs from Tamil Samayam)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.