DMK working president M K Stalin today urged the state government to ensure that Tamil is taught in CBSE and ICSE schools in Tamil Nadu even as he maintained that BJP-led Centre was imposing Hindi.
Reiterating the charge that the centre was imposing Hindi, he said, hence it becomes "imperative," for the AIADMK regime to ensure compulsory teaching of Tamil in schools.
"The lax attitude of the AIADMK regime in this issue makes one wonder if they are acting in cahoots with the BJP government in the centre," he said.
He accused the government of "half-hearted implementation" of the Tamil Learning Act which was enacted during his party's previous regime in 2006.
The Act made it compulsory for students from first to tenth standards to learn Tamil as a subject in schools.
He dubbed an order issued in 2014 by the AIADMK government to compulsorily teach Tamil in CBSE schools as "namesake," and alleged that it was "inadequately implemented."
He also alleged that the AIADMK government was acting slow on issues like appointment of teachers, and ensuring adequate infrastructure.
He said such sluggish attitude in turn was "enabling students whose mother tongue is not Tamil to gain exemption from court of law," from sitting for Tamil exam.
Stalin requested the government to move ahead to implement compulsory Tamil language instruction in CBSE and ICSE schools from first to tenth standards using the provisions of Tamil Learning Act, 2006.
The DMK leader, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Assembly, said the government should hasten the appointment of Tamil teachers in government schools and ensure that Tamil Learning Act was implemented in "full force" as soon as possible.
The state government should take initiative in ensuring that the younger generation was made aware of the rich cultural legacy of Tamil language, he said.
In 1968, during the first DMK regime led by former chief minister C N Annadurai three-language policy of Tamil, English and Hindi was dumped in favour of a "two-language policy," of Tamil and English.
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