Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai has strongly supported multilingual education. He believes that learning multiple languages not only helps professionals work across India but also provides a significant advantage in career growth.
Pai praised the three-language formula in the National Education Policy (NEP). According to him, it improves job mobility and enhances skills that are highly valued in the job market.
“Learning more languages enables people to work across India. It is a very big skill, and the three-language formula has given us great mobility in work. It is a big competitive advantage,” Pai wrote on X.
Industry Experts Defend Multilingual Education
Pai’s statement comes at a time when debates about the practicality of multilingual education continue. While some critics argue that it is unnecessary, industry leaders and education experts firmly believe in its long-term benefits.
For instance, Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has also backed the NEP’s language policy. She emphasized that learning multiple languages is a valuable skill that should be developed early in life.
“Being multilingual is a talent, which few possess. Making it part of the formal education system is a good way of developing such skills early on in life,” she posted on X.
Earlier this week, she responded to an X user who dismissed the three-language policy as a “total waste of time” and suggested learning another subject instead. Defending multilingual education, she countered, “I speak six languages, and it’s hugely helpful.”
Similarly, author and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy shared her personal experience. She reinforced the idea that learning multiple languages is beneficial.
“I have always believed that one can learn multiple languages, and I myself know 7-8 languages. I enjoy learning, and children can benefit greatly from it,” she said.
Tamil Nadu’s Strong Opposition to NEP
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has taken a firm stand against the three-language policy. On Thursday, it replaced the Devanagari rupee symbol in its budget logo for 2025-26 with a Tamil letter.
This decision follows repeated rejections of the NEP’s language formula by the state government. Moreover, Chief Minister M K Stalin accused the Central government of trying to impose Hindi on Tamil speakers. He claimed that the NEP is a “saffron policy” designed to promote Hindi rather than benefit the nation.
As a result, this move has further intensified the political battle over the NEP’s language policy. The debate over multilingual education in India continues to escalate.