The Telangana government has said Telugu will be made mandatory for all schools, including those affiliated with the centre-administered CBSE, as part of a push to ensure students learn their mother tongue or, in case of students from outside the state, the regional language.
The state also said the syllabus for Class IX and X students will be pared down – from ‘standard Telugu’ to a ‘simple Telugu’, starting from 2025/26 for the former and 2026/27 for the latter.
The latter is expected to be useful for students whose mother tongue is not Telugu.
The order comes amid a ‘language war’ brewing between neighbouring Tamil Nadu and the BJP-led central government over the three-language policy detailed in the National Education Policy.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK has objected, vociferously, to a provision in the NEP that says students must learn a third language of their choice, arguing it amounts to ‘Hindi imposition’. The centre, however, has argued no student will be made to learn a language they do not wish to, including Hindi.
