Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, on Thursday, charged the BJP-led Union Government with denying funds and ‘threatening and throttling’ the state to implement the New Education Policy (NEP).

Speaking to newspersons here, Poyyamozhi said, “Even now we are facing threats to toe their line. We are being throttled to sign on the dotted line for the funds to be released under the Samagra Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme. Since they are not releasing the funds, we are meeting the expenses from our own resources.” “We cannot abandon our (two-language) policy – English and mother tongue Tamil,” he asserted, adding, “Let education be brought back to the State List in the Constitution as it was earlier.

Advertisement

We know what our students’ need.” Chief Minister MK Stalin has made it clear that the state will continue to bear the expenses rather than surrendering to the demands of the Union government, he said. “We will manage. Education of our children should not suffer. We know their educational needs,” he recalled the chief minister as having assured.

Vehemently denying that the DMK government was planning to allow private schools to adopt state-run schools, the minister said a news report which had fueled the controversy was false and malicious. “Many people are coming forward with donations to government schools Under the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Further, alumni of schools too are coming with donations in cash and kind,” he explained. “Government schools are our children and we won’t give them up for adoption. When we parents (Government) are there, there is no need. Why should we?” he said. Following the news report, the minister had faced criticism from the CPI(M) and the CPI, which are allies of the ruling DMK. Educationists too have condemned it.