Kamal Haasan calls for education to be shifted to state list, rejects Centre's language push

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) Actor-turned-politician and MNM President Kamal Haasan on Saturday demanded that education be moved to the state list, insisting that the Union government should not impose its language agenda on Tamil Nadu.

He was speaking at the DMK student wing’s programme ‘Our Education, Our Right’ held at the Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram, Chennai.

Speaking in English to underline his message to the Union government, Haasan asserted, “Education must be moved to the State List and made into law. If anyone wants to oppose this, let them oppose for 50 years, but we must make it a law if possible.” Reiterating Tamil Nadu’s resistance to the NEP’s three-language formula, he said the state will continue to follow the two-language policy.

“In Tamil Nadu, it will always be Tamil and English. Students are free to learn more languages if they wish, but nothing should be imposed,” he stressed.

Citing his own experience, Haasan said he learned several languages out of personal interest and not by compulsion. “I know six languages. In school, I studied two, and I learned four more out of interest. My mother tongue will always be Tamil. Today, with technology, translation is possible without learning every language. So don’t tell us it is essential,” he noted.

Haasan further called for keeping the education system simple and student-focused. “While marriages were being performed, wisdom was standing outside. Let’s ensure that our school-going children progress without confusion—they’ve already started making progress,” he remarked. Aligning himself with the DMK’s larger ideological stance, he invoked familiar political symbols, saying, “The fish symbol is in the flag, the tiger symbol is in our hearts, and the bow symbol is in our hands.”

Concluding his address, the MNM chief said he would continue to speak without fear on issues that matter to Tamil Nadu. “I am not bound by left or right. My identity is Kamal Haasan, and my politics is guided by reason, not labels,” he said.

--IANS

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