‘Retrograde politics’: Dharmendra Pradhan claims Tamil Nadu agreed to sign MoU on PM-SHRI schools, cites letter

‘Retrograde politics’: Dharmendra Pradhan claims Tamil Nadu agreed to sign MoU on PM-SHRI schools, cites letter

Retrograde politics’: Dharmendra Pradhan claims Tamil Nadu agreed to sign MoU on PM-SHRI schools, cites letter ByHT News Desk | Edited by Hariharan S Mar 11, 2025 09:12 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Pradhan said the state's “sudden change” of stance on the NEP was intended to score political brownies and revive the DMK's political fortunes

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday cited a 2024 letter from the government of Tamil Nadu to assert that the DMK-led state agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish PM-SHRI schools under the National Education Policy.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Tuesday, March 11, 2025.(SansadTV)

“DMK MPs and Hon’ble CM can stack lies as high as they want, but the truth doesn’t bother knocking when it comes crashing down. The DMK dispensation led by Hon’ble CM Stalin has a lot to answer to the people of Tamil Nadu. Raking the language issue as a diversionary tactic and denying facts as per their convenience will not shield their governance and welfare deficit," he wrote on X.

Also read | MK Stalin says NEP to ‘destroy’ Tamil Nadu's education, slams Dharmendra Pradhan's ‘rude’ remark

Pradhan said the state's “sudden change” of stance on the NEP was intended to score political brownies and revive the DMK's political fortunes. “This retrograde politics of DMK is a great disservice to the bright future of Tamil Nadu and its students,” he added.

The Centre and Tamil Nadu government are engaged in a governance deadlock over the latter's refusal to accept the National Education Policy due to suggestion to implement a three-language formula.

The DMK alleges that accepting the NEP would lead to Hindi imposition, which the party claims are contrary to interests of state's education requirements. The Centre has stated that funds due under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, more than ₹2,000 crore, would be released only if the state accepts the policy in its entirety.

Also read | MK Stalin takes ‘ ₹10000 crore’ vow in tirade against NEP, Centre: ‘Can’t push Tamil Nadu backward by 2000 years'

On Monday, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin shared a letter from Pradhan dated 30 August 2024 to claim that the state never agreed to the MoU on the PM-SHRI in its original form which incorporates the NEP with the three-language formula.

Pradhan noted in his letter that, “I was happy to note when the State of Tamil Nadu gave an undertaking dated 15.03.2024, indicating their willingness to sign the PM SHRI MOU in the academic year 2024-25. After receiving the undertaking, a draft MoU was sent by the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL) to Tamil Nadu. However, I was surprised to see that the State responded with a modified MoU vide letter dated 06.07.2024 wherein key paragraph referring to the implementation of NEP 2020 in its entirety has been dropped.”

“Just as the State is implementing the Samagra Shiksha Scheme that is aligned with NEP 2020, it would be appropriate that the State comes forward to implement and showcase all the initiatives of NEP 2020 under PM SHRI scheme to develop government schools of the State as exemplar schools to facilitate best school education services,” Pradhan had wrote to the state government.