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The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Puducherry on Monday announced a protest against the alleged removal of the French language from CBSE schools following a new central notification on mandatory third language implementation from the academic year 2026-27.
In a statement issued by Puducherry state opposition leader Siva, the party said the implementation of the new directive within a short span of time has created significant tension among teachers and stakeholders, and termed the move 'highly condemnable.' He said that the notification is a deceitful act that destroys the unique French cultural identity of Puducherry and its long linguistic history. He further stated that it directly takes away the rights of the indigenous people of Puducherry, who have made French a part of their life and cultural identity. He also said that the decision has created uncertainty regarding the livelihood and employment of teachers who have been teaching the French language for many years in schools across the Union Territory. He added that such arbitrary decisions imposing language policies would not be accepted, as they go against the region's linguistic diversity and cultural fabric. The Puducherry DMK said it will organise a large-scale language rights protest to condemn the education department over the issue. Similarly, former DMK minister S.P. Shivakumar, state secretary of the Communist Party of India Salim, and National People's Front leader Swaminathan also condemned the central government over the decision. In a separate reaction earlier in the month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had also strongly criticised the CBSE's new curriculum framework, calling it a "calculated attempt at linguistic imposition" that prioritises Hindi over regional languages. CM Stalin had said the policy undermined federalism, marginalised non-Hindi-speaking states and placed an undue burden on students and teachers, urging the Union government to respect India's linguistic diversity and protect the rights of students across states. The reaction came after CBSE announced that it is set to introduce a phased three-language policy from the 2026-27 academic year, beginning with Class 6. The policy requires students to learn an additional language, with at least two of the three being Indian languages. (ANI)
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