Tamil Nadu schools: Only 3.2% offer 3 languages, 37% stick to one

At least 61.6% of India’s 1.4 million schools offer three languages, while 28.3% provide two languages, and 10.1% offer only one, according to data the education ministry shared with the Lok Sabha on Monday. In Tamil Nadu, only 3.2% of schools offer three languages, reflecting the state’s strong resistance to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary presented the data from the latest Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and the 2023-24 report. The data came in response to questions from DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, representing Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi Lok Sabha seat. Her questions focused on the three-language formula and language instruction in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs).

Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest percentage of schools offering three languages at 0.3%, followed by Nagaland at 2.5% and Tamil Nadu at 3.2%. In contrast, Gujarat leads with 97.6% of schools offering three languages, followed by the Union Territories of Chandigarh (97.4%) and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (96.8%).

NEP 2020 mandates that every school student must study at least three languages, with at least two being native Indian languages. However, Tamil Nadu continues to follow a two-language system—Tamil and English. Regional parties in Tamil Nadu oppose the three-language formula, fearing the imposition of Hindi or Sanskrit.

The data shows that Tamil Nadu has 58,722 schools. Of these, 37% offer one language, 59% provide two languages, and only 3.2% offer three. Among the state’s 12,993,050 school students, 31.4% study in one-language schools, 57.8% in two-language schools, and 10.8% in schools offering three languages.

Responding to questions about language teachers in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Chaudhary revealed that 24 teachers work part-time on a contractual basis to teach Tamil in 45 KVs across the state. He also noted that 86 Hindi and 65 Sanskrit faculty currently work in Tamil Nadu.

The data release comes amid heated debates over language policy in Tamil Nadu and other southern states. While NEP promotes linguistic diversity, many Tamil Nadu leaders argue that the three-language formula threatens the state’s cultural and linguistic identity.