States » SouthPosted at: Sep 19 2026 4:30PM


Firm on long followed 2-language policy, will not allow Navodaya schools in TN : Minister Rajmohan, DMK too opposes

Chennai, Sep 19 (UNI) Reiterating its strong opposition to Hindi imposition, while reaffirming its firm committment of sticking to the long followed two-language policy, the Tamil Nadu government said it would not allow Navodya schools that follows the CBSE stream of education, in the State, even as the main Opposition DMK objected to Navodaya schools and wanted the government to convene a Special Assembly session and adopt a resolution, if necessary.
Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister Rajmohan told reporters here that the TVK government would remain firm on its two-language policy and would not provide land for establishing Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) that follow the CBSE syllabus.
“As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned — yesterday, today, and forever — our stand is strictly stick to the two-language policy. There is no second opinion,” he categorically asserted, while ruling out any dilution or deviation from the state's long followed policy. Though political parties differ on some key issues concerning the State, but on the key issue of sticking to the 2-language formula and expressing their opposition to Hindi Opposition, all the parties have been speaking in unison and remain united.
Mr. Rajmohan was responding to media query on the Supreme Court's oral observations asking TN to change its mindset on not allowing Hindi teaching in schools, while granting three months’ time to the state government to comply with its December 15, 2025, direction to identify lands in each district to establish Navodaya schools.
It directed the TN government to comply with its earlier order and urging both the state and Central government to resolve the differences through negotiations. A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Augustine George Masih had on September 17, while hearing Tamil Nadu’s plea challenging a 2017 Madras High Court direction to establish Navodaya schools in every district, orally observed that Tamil Nadu had to change its “mindset” that Hindi cannot be taught in the state, cautioning that “individual States cannot act like individual countries”.
The court granted Tamil Nadu three months to identify suitable land for the schools and said the direction would be subject to its final orders. In the meantime, representatives of the state and union governments were asked to hold discussions on the policy of establishing Navodaya schools in Tamil Nadu.
After Senior Counsel Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the Court that the newly formed TVK government was seeking recall of the December 2025 order, the Bench posted further hearing on the matter for December 14.
The Minister said “As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, we follow the two-language policy, and we will continue to do so. There will be no change in our stand”.
Rajmohan pointed out that “Justice B.V. Nagarathna has only expressed her opinion. This is not the verdict. The judicial proceedings are on. We are not against Hindi or any other language. We have been successfully running model schools and many students from those schools have excelled in higher education,” he added. The court’s observations were not a final ruling...with all due respect, we are not against Hindi or any other language. But for our land and our people, priority belongs to Tamil. The legal proceedings are ongoing, but our policy position is firm.”
“In model schools we are already providing quality education and we will not provide land for any CBSE central establishment of this kind", he added.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin too expressed his strong opposition for setting up Navodaya schools and urged the state government to convene a special Assembly session and pass a resolution reiterating its stand, if necessary.
Holding that adherence to the two-language policy had never hindered TN's growth, he pointed out the Centre's adamant stand in refusing the state its due funds to the tune of Rs 3,548 crore under the SSA scheme for the School department for not implementing NEP that envisaged implementation of the three-language formula and wanted the TN government to sustain its legal fight to protect the state's rights.
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Tags: #Firm on long followed 2-language policy# will not allow Navodaya schools in TN : Minister Rajmohan# DMK too opposes
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