Several north Indian states have refrained from teaching any south Indian language as the third language in schools, the government has informed Parliament, reinforcing concerns raised by Tamil Nadu and Kerala that Hindi was being imposed on them through a three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP).

While Uttar Pradesh and Bihar offer Sanskrit or Urdu as a third language, Madhya Pradesh offers Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi or Marathi, minister of state for education Jayant Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

According to the three-language formula introduced by the NEP in 1968, students from Classes VI to X should be taught their mother tongue, English and another Indian language. It proposes that Hindi-speaking states should preferably teach a southern language while the southern states should teach Hindi.

NEP 2020 modified the three-language formula while giving greater flexibility to the states to teach any Indian language as a third language.

The Haryana government last month decided to teach Hindi and English as first and second language while allowing students to choose from Sanskrit, Punjabi and Urdu as the third language.

DMK member in Lok Sabha, V.S. Matheswaran, had sought details about the third-language options offered by states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
and Bihar.

Chaudhary said the NEP provided for the three-language formula “keeping in mind the constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity”.

He said no language was being imposed.

“The three languages learned by children will be the choices of states, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India. In particular, students who wish to change one or more
of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6 or 7, as long as they are able to demonstrate basic proficiency in three languages (including one language of India at the literature level) by the end of secondary school,” the minister replied.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin has openly opposed the three-language formula. The state has been teaching Tamil and English only.

During a discussion on the functioning of the home affairs ministry in the Rajya Sabha last Friday, CPM member from Kerala John Brittas expressed concern that
the Hindi-speaking states were not teaching any Dravidian language.

“There is an imposition of Hindi. Has any north Indian state implemented the three-language formula?” he asked.

MDMK member Vaiko had said Hindi and Sanskrit were being imposed on southern states. He had also demanded that all 22 scheduled languages be made official languages.