The story so far: On Friday (March 7, 2025), Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while participating in the CISF Day at the newly named Rajaditya Chola Recruits Training Centre at Thakkolam in Ranipet district, said until recently, there was no place for mother tongue in the conduct of examinations for the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). “You cannot write it in Bengali, Kannada, or Tamil. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided it should be conducted in all languages in the Eighth Schedule [of the Constitution]. So now, even youth in Tamil Nadu can write the exam in Tamil,” he said.
On the occasion, he said several States were offering medical and engineering education using the regional language as the medium of instruction. He appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to follow suit and offer medical and engineering courses in Tamil medium at the earliest. “I have been asking for this for the last two years but to no avail. I hope today he will certainly do something,” Mr. Shah said.
What is the status of Tamil medium in engineering education in T.N.?
In 2010, the then M. Karunanidhi government had mooted the idea of offering engineering education with Tamil as the medium of instruction. On an experimental basis, it introduced two courses — Bachelors in Engineering Civil and Mechanical — in Tamil medium at the constituent colleges of the prestigious Anna University during the academic year 2010-11. Besides, it decided to set the undergraduate engineering examination question papers in both English and Tamil, giving students the option of answering in either language.
“These measures would encourage Tamil medium students in higher secondary schools to join engineering colleges,” the then Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy had said.
When the single window counselling for Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions was being conducted in July 2010, Karunanidhi made a rare visit to Anna University and said, “…the Tamil medium education, which we talked about at the World Classical Tamil Conference, has also been popular with 149 students taking it up till now. I believe and hope that this number will increase.” In September 2010, the DMK government also promulgated an ordinance reserving 20% of State government jobs for students who studied in the Tamil medium (all courses).
What is the status of Tamil medium engineering courses?
Initially, the courses received good patronage with even some students, who completed schooling in English medium, opting for the Tamil course as they got an opportunity to study in the prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy. The Tamil medium of instruction was expanded to more constituent colleges of the Anna University. However, over the years, the number of students opting for the Tamil medium course declined.
In May 2023, the Anna University, acting on a decision approved by its Academic Council, issued a circular to suspend the Tamil medium courses offered in 11 of its Constituent Colleges with effect from the academic year 2023-24. It triggered a controversy, following which the university reversed its decision on the advice of the Higher Education Minister.
The then Vice Chancellor R. Velraj had said it was initially decided to withdraw the civil and mechanical engineering courses due to poor patronage and instead introduce Tamil medium courses in computer science and engineering, which was in demand. The university, he said, had the previous year, translated [into Tamil] study material for 50 subjects, and translation of another 500 subjects was being taken.
Incidentally, in 2021, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said an online survey, which drew response from 85,195 undergraduate students countrywide, revealed that 12,487 students preferred to study engineering in Tamil medium if given an option.
Does T.N. offer medical education in Tamil?
Way back in 2010, Tamil Nadu had toyed with the concept of offering medical education in Tamil medium. “The minister had announced engineering courses would be taught in Tamil from this year. Next, it would be introduced in medical colleges,” Karunanidhi had said in June that year. However, the idea did not take shape after the DMK lost the elections in 2011.
In October 2022, State Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said the government was taking steps to introduce Tamil medium in medical colleges. “Once the Union government gives the nod to open medical colleges in six districts that do not have one, efforts will be made to start a medical college in Chennai with Tamil as medium of instruction,” he had said. Three professors were involved in translating the medical textbooks into Tamil.
In December 2022, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, participating in the convocation of the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, batted for teaching medical and allied health courses, including nursing, in Tamil medium. Last year, the university’s Vice Chancellor K. Narayanaswamy said affiliated medical colleges will offer education in Tamil and English and the State will offer Tamil textbooks to students, if required. The status quo remains.
What did Union government say when CM Stalin sought the conduct of paramilitary force recruitment exams in Tamil?
In April 2023, Mr. Stalin strongly opposed the decision of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to conduct its recruitment examination for constables only in Hindi and English. He wrote to Mr. Shah urging him to conduct the recruitment in Tamil and other regional languages so that youth from non-Hindi speaking States got an equal opportunity to serve the paramilitary force.
The CRPF responded saying it has “never conducted written examination for any in-house recruitment in regional languages.” It said computer-based test for recruitment of constables is conducted in “Hindi and English only.” However, last year, for the first time the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to conduct the constable (general duty) examination for Central Armed Police Forces such as CRPF, BSF and CISF, in 13 regional languages in addition to Hindi and English from January 1, 2024.
Published – March 07, 2025 02:56 pm IST