A recent controversy over the Central Board of Secondary Education's draft policy has raised concerns about the promotion of Hindi in education policies. The draft initially left out several regional languages, which led to strong opposition and debates among education experts and politicians.

Education expert Dr. V Niranjanaradhya VP, who supports a universal education system, criticized the move. He stated that any policy or circular issued by CBSE or the central government must respect all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Concerns over hindi push in education

Dr. Niranjanaradhya pointed out that policies have historically pushed Hindi through the three-language formula. "Look at any circular, and you’ll see a clear agenda of pushing Hindi—either through the three-language formula or otherwise," he said. He explained that South Indian states have followed this formula by including Hindi as a third language. However, in North India, where students were supposed to learn a South Indian language along with Hindi and English, the formula was not implemented properly. This failure has led to resistance from southern states today.

The latest CBSE draft proposed a new system of dual board exams for Class 10 starting in 2026. It initially listed five main subjects: English (Language 1), Hindi (Language 2), Science, Mathematics, and Social Science. Regional languages like Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Punjabi were not included in the draft.

Following strong opposition, CBSE reinstated these languages and issued an addendum, clarifying that all existing subjects and languages would continue to be offered.

CBSE faces backlash and clarification issued

Dr. Niranjanaradhya called this move "mischief" and stated that it should not have happened in the first place. "The CBSE board first removes these languages, then when there is a backlash on social media, it quietly brings them back. This is unfair," he said.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the policy, saying that the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not impose Hindi on any state. Tamil Nadu has been particularly vocal in its opposition to the policy, calling it politically motivated. Pradhan stated that the NEP promotes education in the mother tongue, not just Hindi. "We have never said in NEP 2020 that Hindi alone will be there. Education will be in the native language. In Tamil Nadu, it will be Tamil," he said.

Despite this clarification, Tamil Nadu continues to resist the three-language formula, citing concerns that it might reduce the importance of regional languages.

After the draft policy was published on CBSE’s website on February 25, various stakeholders expressed strong opposition on social media platform X. They criticized the exclusion of Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, and other languages. In response, CBSE issued an order on February 26 confirming that these languages would continue to be part of the curriculum.

Dr. Niranjanaradhya alleged, "This is not just mischief; it has been done with intent."

A history of neglecting regional languages

According to Dr. Niranjanaradhya, the push for Hindi in national education policies has been happening for decades. "The way our policies are framed and implemented is based on the hegemony of one language. This is completely wrong. The world is moving towards multilingualism, but here we are still imposing a single language," he said.

He pointed out that Karnataka has the Kannada Learning Act, 2015, which mandates that CBSE-affiliated schools must teach Kannada as a second language. However, many CBSE schools in Karnataka have not implemented this law, even though they require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government to operate.

He also criticized the ambiguous language of NEP 2020. "The policy mentions ‘home language’ and ‘local language’ without clearly defining ‘mother tongue,’ which creates space for manipulation," he said.

Dr. Niranjanaradhya also questioned Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s claim that NEP does not push Hindi. "Look at Paragraph 4.1 of the NEP 2020—it is vague. It mentions ‘mother tongue’ only at the end. Instead, it talks about ‘home language’ and ‘local language,’ leaving room for different interpretations," he explained.

He pointed out another contradiction in NEP’s implementation. "The policy states that the medium of education should be in the mother tongue at least until Class 5, and preferably until Class 8. This applies to all schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, CBSE, and ICSE institutions. If that’s the case, why hasn’t this provision been implemented in the last five years?" he asked.

He argued that policies are being influenced by political interests rather than focusing on what is best for students. "Children are the primary stakeholders, yet they are never consulted in these debates," he said. "Instead of prioritizing political agendas, the focus should be on what is best for the child’s learning."

As the March 9 deadline for feedback on CBSE’s draft approaches, the debate over language policy in education is expected to intensify, especially in South Indian states that have long resisted what they see as an imposition of Hindi.

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