Common education policy for whole nation inapt, submits TN

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court that setting a common education policy for all over the country is quite inappropriate to follow as India has diverse cultures and languages.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for the state made this submission before the full bench of Madras HC comprising Justice R Mahadevan, Justice M Sundar and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy. The bench was constituted by the Chief Justice of Madras HC to hear and dispose of the petition filed by Aram Seiya Virumbu Trust of DMK MLA Dr Ezhilan Naganathan and others. The petitioner sought direction to accommodate education as a state subject.

According to Sibal, no one has the power to force children to study in a language that they do not know. “It should be the decision of the parents to admit their children in whatever medium and the government should not force that as it is against the Constitution,” Sibal argued. Senior Advocate NR Elango representing the petitioner submitted “Asking states to follow the NCERT syllabus is also an attack on the federal structure of the country.” The bench adjourned it to December 9.