Amid the ongoing friction between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies over the three-language formula in Tamil Nadu, the party has accused the central government of attempting to destroy the state’s education system, which it claims to be par excellence. However, the recently released Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024, conducted by Pratham Education Foundation, presents a grim picture of the actual education levels among students in Tamil Nadu.
DMK’s Political Rhetoric on NEP and Hindi Imposition
To invoke the emotional sentiments of Tamil Nadu’s people, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin once again raked up the issue of Hindi imposition in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and accused the Centre of withholding PM SHRI scheme funds meant for Tamil Nadu. The matter escalated in the Lok Sabha, where Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan exposed DMK’s duplicity by producing a letter from the Tamil Nadu government, which had initially agreed to sign the MoU and requested the release of the remaining two installments of funds.
Pradhan confronted the DMK MPs, asking, “Why are you now retracting? Who is the ‘Super CM’?” His remarks, particularly regarding the conduct of DMK MPs, were deemed “uncivilised and undemocratic”—words that were later expunged from the record after he withdrew them in good spirit. In response, M.K. Stalin asserted, “Even if they give Rs.10,000 crore, we won’t implement NEP in Tamil Nadu. The Centre should release the funds immediately.”
Seizing the opportunity, DMK twisted Pradhan’s remarks as an attack on the entire Tamil community, leading to widespread protests, including the burning of effigies of the Union Minister across Tamil Nadu.
Stalin’s Criticism of NEP
Lashing out against the National Education Policy, Stalin claimed:
“The National Education Policy is not an education policy; it is a saffronisation policy. The policy was not created to develop India but to promote Hindi. We oppose this policy because it will completely destroy Tamil Nadu’s education system. Is it fair to threaten us by withholding funds meant for 43 lakh schools? Since we refused to accept NEP, they are refusing to release funds that rightfully belong to Tamil Nadu.”
He further questioned:
“If a state government performs well and sets an example for the country, shouldn’t the Union Government support that government? But is this Union Government doing so? They are jealous that Tamil Nadu is performing well. They are irritated that DMK is safeguarding Tamil Nadu. So, they are doing everything to create hurdles and belittle us. Can we witness this injustice and remain silent?”
ASER 2024 Findings: Tamil Nadu’s Reality Check
While the DMK-led government touts Tamil Nadu’s education system as a model for the nation, the ASER 2024 report, released in Delhi in January, paints a starkly different picture. The survey covered 876 villages across 30 districts in Tamil Nadu, assessing 28,894 students aged 3 to 16 years. Its findings reveal alarming gaps in students’ foundational learning.
Key Findings of ASER 2024 in Tamil Nadu
Class 8 students in rural Tamil Nadu struggle to read a Class 2 textbook.
Basic literacy and arithmetic skills are below par compared to states like Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, and Maharashtra.
When compared to Karnataka and Telangana, Tamil Nadu fares slightly better but remains a cause for concern.
43.4 per cent of Class 1 students and 16.9 per cent of Class 2 students cannot read a single letter.
24.6 per cent of Class 3, 30 per cent of Class 4, and 34 per cent of Class 5 students cannot read lessons meant for Class 1.
35 per cent of Class 6, 56 per cent of Class 7, and 64 per cent of Class 8 students cannot properly read second-grade lessons.
The percentage of out-of-school children in Tamil Nadu was 2.3 per cent in 2018, 1.9 per cent in 2022, and 1.8 per cent in 2024. Tamil Nadu’s Smartphone Dependency & Digital Divide
The ASER report also analysed the impact of digital learning and smartphone penetration among students:
During the pandemic, students aged 14 to 16 became tech-savvy with smartphones but lacked essential online safety knowledge compared to other states.
63.9% of girls use smartphones for educational purposes, while 79.4% of boys use them for social media engagement.
Despite increasing digital accessibility, Tamil Nadu lags in ensuring effective digital education and cybersecurity awareness among students.
High Absenteeism in Tamil Nadu’s Board Exams
Adding to the education crisis, on March 3, 2025, a staggering 11,430 students were absent from the first Tamil Nadu Class 12 board exam (language paper). In 2022, 47,000 out of 9 lakh students failed the Tamil language paper, further raising concerns about the state’s education standards.
BJP’s Counterattack: Annamalai Calls Out DMK’s Hypocrisy
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai criticised the DMK’s stance on the three-language policy, exposing contradictions in their approach. He pointed out that while DMK enforces a two-language policy in state-run schools, DMK-run matriculation schools offer Tamil as an optional language.
Annamalai questioned:
“15.2 lakh CBSE students and a total of 45 lakh students, including matric students, have the opportunity to learn three languages. Why this hypocrisy? Why deny this opportunity to the other 50% of students who are compelled to learn only two languages? If the Tamil Nadu State Board education system has been tried, tested, and proven successful over decades, why are the wards of DMK MLAs and MPs studying in private schools?”
Conclusion: The Dravidian Model’s Reality Check
The ASER 2024 report serves as an eye-opener and a wake-up call for Tamil Nadu’s education system, which makes tall claims of being a Dravidian Model State. While DMK has long propagated linguistic chauvinism, hostility towards Hindi and Sanskrit, and opposition to the three-language policy, the ground reality is concerning—children in government schools struggle to read even simple Tamil text.
Despite allocating Rs.44,000 crores to education, the quality remains subpar. Parents increasingly prefer costly private schools over government-funded free education due to poor teaching quality, inadequate infrastructure, and overall mismanagement.
This raises a fundamental question—if Tamil Nadu’s education system is as exemplary as DMK claims, why are its own leaders sending their children to private schools?
The political posturing around NEP, language policies, and Centre-State disputes might serve short-term electoral gains for DMK, but the long-term damage to Tamil Nadu’s future generations is evident.
