'Funding bias': ₹2,532 cr for Sanskrit vs ₹34 cr for four Dravidian languages

By A Representative 

The All India Secondary Education Council (AISEC) has sharply criticized the Union Government’s recent directive mandating a strict three-language formula in schools, calling it a veiled attempt to impose Hindi and Sanskrit on non-Hindi speaking populations.

In a statement, AISEC General Secretary Dr. Tarun Kanti Naskar demanded the immediate withdrawal of the CBSE Circular dated May 15, 2026, which makes the study of three languages compulsory for Class IX effective July 1, 2026.

Under the new rules, at least two of the three languages must be native Indian languages. A foreign language can only be studied as a third language if the first two are Indian, or as an optional fourth language.

Dr. Naskar backed his opposition with a sharp critique of the government’s own spending patterns. Citing a 10-year cumulative expenditure analysis (2014-15 to 2024-25), he highlighted stark disparities in funding for scheduled and classical languages:

- Sanskrit: ₹2,532.59 crore

- Urdu: ₹837.94 crore

- Hindi: ₹426.99 crore

- Tamil: ₹113.48 crore

- Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam & Odia (combined): ₹34.08 crore

“It is palpably clear that much emphasis is given to Sanskrit, which is not a spoken language of common people in any part of the country, followed by Urdu and Hindi,” Dr. Naskar said. He argued that the policy effectively forces either Sanskrit or Hindi—or both—onto non-Hindi speaking communities, while similarly condemning Hindi speakers to imposed Sanskrit or other regional languages.

The statement also took aim at the circular’s silence on English, which Dr. Naskar described as “an essential bridge for higher education and a window to acquire worldwide knowledge.” He stressed that English is equally imperative for the robust development of all Modern Indian Languages, enabling symbiotic enrichment rather than displacement.

AISEC has proposed a two-language framework instead: every student should learn their mother tongue and English. Children of inter-state migrants may choose to learn the language of their new state alongside English. A third language, the organization said, should remain strictly voluntary.

“Pedagogically, this two-language framework is the most practical, scientifically sound, and inclusive approach,” Dr. Naskar asserted, demanding that the Union Government immediately revoke the three-language formula by withdrawing the CBSE circular.