CHENNAI: Invoking former chief minister C N Annadurai’s principle that three-language formula should be removed and only Tamil and English taught, TVK govt led by C Joseph Vijay on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy.The govt strongly opposed the National Education Policy (NEP), saying the Centre’s position that ₹3,458 crore due to Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan would be released only if the NEP’s three-language formula was implemented is unacceptable. It said linking funds to implementation effectively imposes the three-language formula on the state, and it will urge the Union govt to delink the condition and immediately release the pending amount.The govt said problems linked to NEET, the National Education Policy (NEP), and the three-language formula arise because education is in the Concurrent List, and it will take steps to move education back to the State List. It will also urge the Centre to permit Tamil as a language of pleading in the Madras high court. The govt will fill long-vacant teaching posts in state universities and higher educational institutions on a war footing, through a transparent process based strictly on eligibility and merit. “The govt will introduce various fundamental reforms in the higher education sector,” Governor R V Arlekar said in his maiden address in the assembly.
