Kerala minister slams decision to remove Arabic, Mahal from Lakshadweep’s curriculum

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty condemned the Lakshadweep administration's decision to eliminate Arabic and Mahal languages from the island's school curriculum on Wednesday, calling it "deeply disturbing".

Sivankutty stated in a statement that the move to "foist" the Narendra Modi government's National Education Policy will "destroy the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country". The Education Department issued the order to eliminate the two languages on May 14, 2023, as part of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

Mahal, also known as the Maliku dialect, is a variation of Dhivehi, the Maldives' national language. The language retains certain traits of an older Maldivian while also incorporating Malayalam influences.

He expressed support for the people of Lakshadweep, condemning the recent decision to remove Arabic and Mahal—languages native to the island—from the school curriculum. He described the move as a form of linguistic injustice and called on democratic institutions, academic communities, and educational organizations to speak out against it and demand that the authorities reverse the decision, Indian Express reported.

He claimed that the change was being made under the pretext of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP), despite the central government’s stated commitment to promoting mother tongues and preserving regional diversity in education.

According to him, depriving Lakshadweep students of the opportunity to study their native languages amounted to a violation of the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities.

He also pointed out that Kerala had previously expressed reservations about both the structure of NEP 2020 and the PM SHRI scheme, a centrally driven initiative aimed at enhancing educational infrastructure. He noted that Kerala's opposition to these policies stemmed from these concerns.