Why 41 Sanskrit teachers but only 12 Tamil teachers in TN's PM Shri schools: Su Venkatesan questions Centre

CHENNAI: CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan has accused the Union government of promoting Sanskrit at the cost of regional languages after a reply to his Lok Sabha question revealed the number of language teachers appointed under the PM SHRI scheme.

According to the reply by Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary, 13,092 schools have so far been selected under the centrally sponsored PM SHRI scheme, against the target of over 14,500 schools nationwide.

Taking to his X account, the minister's response stated that 6,102 Sanskrit teachers, 1,994 Urdu teachers and 9,152 teachers for regional languages have been appointed in these schools.

Venkatesan alleged that the PM SHRI data shows 6,102 Sanskrit teachers for a language spoken by around 24,000 people, while Tamil, spoken by nearly 70 million people, has only 12 teachers appointed in Tamil Nadu's PM SHRI schools.

Questions over language policy

Referring to the State-wise data, Venkatesan pointed out that Tamil Nadu has 36 PM SHRI schools, with 41 Sanskrit teachers and only 12 regional language teachers appointed. He alleged that Sanskrit, spoken by a small number of people, had received disproportionate representation compared to Tamil and other State languages.

The Madurai MP further claimed that BJP-ruled States such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Odisha had appointed Sanskrit teachers in all PM SHRI schools. In Madhya Pradesh, he noted, 1,211 Sanskrit teachers had been appointed for 944 PM SHRI schools.

Venkatesan alleged that the figures expose the Union government's claim that the three-language policy under the National Education Policy is aimed at promoting Indian and regional languages. He contended that the data instead reflects a preference for Sanskrit and described the Centre's promotion of State languages under the scheme as "a sham."

The Union government has not issued any response to Venkatesan's allegations beyond the written reply tabled in Parliament.