Tamil Nadu Minister slams Centre over Sanskrit bias, announces textbook revisions
Tamil Nadu Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi spoke on a range of key education issues, including communal tensions in classrooms, the bias towards Sanskrit in the national curriculum, and the state's ongoing legal battle for central funds. His comments came after a high-level review meeting with Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) from across the state.The Minister said the government had recently convened a state-wide meeting to address pressing concerns such as the number of pending cases filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, teacher vacancies, and school dropout rates. 'We will enhance monitoring in every district. We are taking stock of them district-wise,' he said.advertisementIn response to concerns about communal influence in schools, Anbil Mahesh said the government had held a two-day brainstorming session with senior officials to find solutions. 'We are planning to raise awareness through District Collectors and ensure such influences are identified and removed,' he said.
The Minister also announced that a major revision of school textbooks is under way in Tamil Nadu. 'We're already working on it, and an official announcement will follow shortly,' he confirmed.Criticising the central government for what he described as preferential treatment of Sanskrit over other classical languages, he said, 'Despite India having five other classical languages, only Sanskrit is being given undue prominence. There is a continuous bias.'Earlier in the day, Chief Minister MK Stalin had criticised the BJP-led Union government over its alleged bias in language funding, accusing it of favouring Sanskrit while neglecting Tamil and other South Indian languages.advertisementIn a post on social media platform X, Stalin wrote, 'Sanskrit gets the crores; Tamil and other South Indian languages get nothing but crocodile tears. False affection for Tamil; All money for Sanskrit!'The Chief Minister's remarks came after a report by The Hindustan Times, based on data obtained through the Right to Information Act (RTI) and public records, which revealed that the Centre spent Rs 2,532.59 crore on promoting Sanskrit between 2014-15 and 2024-25. In contrast, the combined allocation for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia — the five other classical Indian languages — was Rs 147.56 crore.On the issue of pending central funds, Minister Anbil Mahesh expressed confidence in the state's legal case against the Union government. 'We are already engaged in the legal process and are hopeful of a favourable verdict. I am confident we will win in court,' he said.- Ends
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