New Delhi: Following outrage in Tamil Nadu over a Draft National Educational Policy 2019 favouring teaching Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said state governments will be consulted before a final decision is taken on the issue.
Jaishankar’s response came after a Twitter user posted a query to him on the issue related to school education.
“The National Education Policy as submitted to the Minister HRD is only a draft report. Feedback shall be collected from general public. State Governments will be consulted. Only after this, the draft report will be finalised. Govt Of India respects all languages.
No language will be imposed,” Jaishankar tweeted.
Following the footsteps of his predecessor Sushma Swaraj, Jaishankar on Sunday responded on Twitter to various queries and calls for assistance by several Indians abroad.
The draft national education policy recommends a range of reform measures and favoured teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states. The official Twitter handle of MNS, quoted state leader and spokesperson Anil Shidore as stating “Hindi is not our mother tongue, do not enforce it on us and incite us.”
However, as the controversy snowballed, the Centre dismissed apprehensions on the issue and said there was no move to impose any language on anyone.
Former HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is now minister for information and broadcasting in the second Modi government, Saturday said a committee had prepared a draft report on the education policy and that no decision has been taken on implementing it.