Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged Prime urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the immediate release of Rs 2,152 crore of Samagra Shiksha funds for the state, saying that the Center should not link two different schemes SSA and PM SHRI Schools initiatives as mandatory for funds.
The DO letter by Stalin said the PM should intervene for the sake of cooperative federalism and the welfare of lakhs of students and teachers. "To dissipate the unrest caused due to this issue, Rs 2,152 crores of Samagra Shiksha funds for Tamil Nadu for 2024-25 may be released immediately, without linking it to the implementation of National Education Programme (NEP) 2020. Considering the sensitivity of the issue, I look forward to your personal intervention in this regard,” the letter from Stalin read.
Expressing concern, Stalin said the recent remarks of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan saying that SSA funds for Tamil Nadu would not be released until the state implemented NEP in its entirety and adopted the three-language policy. "This has created immense anxiety and unrest among students, political parties and the general public in our state," the CM said.
For many decades, Tamil Nadu has always been steadfast in its two-language policy, which was deeply rooted in its educational and social milieu. This was safeguarded through the exemption from implementing 'The Official Languages Act, 1963', as mentioned in The Official Languages Rules, 1976, he asserted.
Even Central schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas, which follow the three-language policy, have not been established in Tamil Nadu because of the opposition to it. The tremendous strides made by the state in the last half-century and its trendsetting initiatives can be traced back to our progressive policymaking, built on this two-language policy and social justice, the CM harped.
"The above would exemplify that any change in our two-language policy is non-negotiable for our state and our people," the letter read.
He charged that the state had raised its concerns on other specific provisions of NEP through a letter and a memorandum in 2024. Despite the multiple representations, the SSA funds for 2024-25 remain unreleased, he added.
“I would like to reiterate that linking the two different Centrally Sponsored Schemes – SSA and the NEP exemplar PM SHRI Schools is fundamentally unacceptable. And the Union Government’s usage of such fund releases as a pressure tactic to coerce a state into adopting centrally mandated programs against its time-tested state policies is a blatant violation of cooperative federalism,” the DMK patriarch said.
The stand, Stalin said, would grossly undermine the States' rights to shape their education policies, based on a State’s specific needs. Due to the non-release of funds under the ongoing scheme, several vital components towards teacher salaries, student welfare programs, inclusive education initiatives, RTE reimbursements for underprivileged students and transport for students in remote areas have been jeopardised, he rued.
