New Delhi: The Supreme Court, which has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to identify sites for establishing Navodaya schools within three months, has said that since there has been a change in government in the state, it expects a change in mindset as well.
The Tamil Nadu government's appeal against the order to establish a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya school in Tamil Nadu came up again for hearing before a bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih. The arguments made then were:
Judges: Why was the order issued to identify sites for Navodaya schools not implemented? What is the problem in establishing Navodaya schools in Tamil Nadu? Why are you opposing it?
Senior counsel for the Tamil Nadu government, Jaideep Gupta: Navodaya schools can be established in states where there are inadequate school infrastructure facilities. In Tamil Nadu, school infrastructure is very excellent. Good education is already being provided even to rural students. The government’s position is that Tamil Nadu, which already has excellent infrastructure, does not need Navodaya schools. Moreover, since Navodaya schools follow the three-language policy, it is contrary to Tamil Nadu’s two-language policy. Since education is on the Concurrent List, pressure cannot be exerted to bring about changes in it.
Judges: This seems to say that the state will travel its own path. If language is the issue, then instead of Hindi, another language could be taught. In the matter of Navodaya schools, the Tamil Nadu government should change its stance.
Lawyer for the Tamil Nadu government: India is a country that functions on the principle of federalism, so it should not act with the intention of imposing something on us.
Additional Solicitor General of the Central Government, Nataraj: As far as language policy is concerned, a solution can be found simply by sitting down and talking; the essence of the new education policy is that Hindi or even another language can be taken as a third language.
Lawyer for the Tamil Nadu government: The Central Government is strongly pursuing a three-language policy, and its aim is to impose Hindi. Because Tamil Nadu has not accepted the three-language policy, the Central Government has so far withheld and is pressuring over the more than Rs. 5,000 crore in education funds that should be released to Tamil Nadu. This was the argument made.
Following this, the judges said: A new government has come to power in Tamil Nadu, so we expect some change in its mindset as well. Therefore, first identify the land for establishing Navodaya schools; we can discuss and resolve the other issues one by one. We know how much importance the Tamil Nadu government gives to education and how much it spends on it. For that, we express our highest appreciation.
Accepting the central government's policy does not mean we have surrendered to them; the state government must implement the already issued order to identify land for establishing Navodaya schools in Tamil Nadu, and we are granting a three-month period for this.
Furthermore, to resolve the contradictions in establishing Navodaya schools, senior officials from the central government and the Tamil Nadu government must hold talks together and arrive at a decision. These talks should be conducted on the basis of the state government's policy and with due respect for the principle of federalism.
During this hearing, the dispute over Tamil Nadu’s education fund of Rs. 5,000 crore, which has been withheld, should also be discussed and resolved. The judges, who issued this order, adjourned the hearing to December 14.
