Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tejasvi Surya has responded to the controversy surrounding the National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 Draft on the pan-India three language formula which bats for Hindi from pre-school to class 12.



The BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, tweeted saying that he as a Kannadiga "is proud of his mother tongue, it's beauty and contribution to India's culture". However, according to him, a few aspects of the NEP have been "twisted, misinterpreted and misunderstood".



Tejasvi Surya, defending the NEP 2019 Draft said, "The 3-language formula, as is stated in the draft NEP, has been in place since 1968 and has been endorsed in 1986 and 1992 updates of the NEP as well. The current draft of the NEP merely says that this 3-language formula can be continued in schools. The NEP doesn't impose, rather encourages, learning Hindi as a language in school."



"When the NEP is encouraging a child in a non-Hindi state to learn Hindi, it also directs the kid in a Hindi-speaking state to learn a language spoken elsewhere in India like Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali etc. The purpose is national integration and preservation of all languages," added Tejasvi Surya.



The BJP MP also mentioned that the policy is just a draft and open to opinions and edits.



Tejasvi Surya also said that the policy doesn't set out to impose Hindi on anyone.



Tejasvi Surya said, "Another article within the same chapter clearly indicates that the policy doesn't set out to impose Hindi on anyone. P4.5.1 of the policy deals with the medium of instruction, where it promotes the use of the local language as the medium of instruction until Class 5."



"The policy was drafted keeping in mind that a child will be most comfortable to study in the language that he's accustomed to at home. This, in no way, amounts to Hindi Imposition. It rather encourages the use of the local language over English and Hindi in schools," added Tejasvi Surya.

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's massive victory in Lok Sabha 2019 election, the Hindi debate once again erupted in Tamil Nadu.



The draft National Education Policy, proposed by Ministry of Human Resources and Development on Friday, suggests teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states. However, there is no clarity if the state language will be taught.



What is the new National Education Policy?



The New Education Policy has been drafted by an expert panel led by Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, a former chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The committee handed over the draft policy to new HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Friday.

The draft said, "Curriculum and pedagogy will be transformed by 2022 in order to minimise rote learning and instead encourage holistic development and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, scientific temper, communication, collaboration, multilingualism, problem-solving, ethics, social responsibility, and digital literacy.



The policy also suggests changes in teaching and assessment to make the education system more stress-free.



The existing NEP was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992. New education policy was part of the BJP’s manifesto ahead of 2014 general polls.

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