Tamil Nadu is digging in on its two-language policy, refusing to provide land for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas even a day after the Supreme Court told the state to “change its mindset” on Hindi and said it could not take the position that the language would not be taught on its soil.Reacting to the court's observations, School Education Minister and TVK leader Rajmohan Arumugam said Tamil Nadu would continue to stand by its two-language policy and withhold land for Navodaya schools.He stressed that the Supreme Court's remarks came during the hearing and were not a final verdict, while maintaining that the state was not opposed to Hindi or any other language but was seeking to protect Tamil.Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin welcomed the TVK government's decision to stand firm on the state's two-language policy.
He also called for a special session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, if necessary, to pass a resolution against the establishment of centrally sponsored Navodaya schools in the state.As the dispute escalates, it is worth looking beyond the immediate courtroom exchange to understand what lies beneath the conflict.WHY NAVODAYA SCHOOLS ARE AT THE CENTRE OF THE ROWJawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are centrally funded, co-educational residential schools administered by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti under the Union Ministry of Education.
The schools follow a three-language formula, with Hindi forming part of the language structure in the system.
They were established to provide quality residential education, particularly to talented students from rural areas.The Centre has sought the establishment of Navodaya schools in Tamil Nadu as part of its wider network of such institutions across the country.
The state, however, has resisted the proposal, with its opposition rooted in its longstanding two-language policy and the political and cultural history surrounding language in Tamil Nadu.But the language question is only one layer of the dispute.
The immediate sticking point is far more tangible — land.The state has not merely objected to the construction of individual schools.
It has also refused to allot land to the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.
The decision is tied to its argument that Tamil Nadu should not be compelled to facilitate a Central education scheme whose language framework does not align with the state's own policy.During the Supreme Court proceedings, Tamil Nadu argued that the issue involved questions of its policy-making powers and cooperative federalism.
Its position has been that the Navodaya scheme is a Central initiative and that the state should not be compelled to facilitate it when it has chosen to follow a different education and language framework.The Centre, on the other hand, has maintained that Tamil Nadu should identify and provide suitable land, while the Centre would bear the cost of establishing the schools.The Supreme Court....
