Telangana’s Telugu language mandate faces fresh delays amid court battles and parental protests

Six years after the enactment of the Telangana (Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Telugu in Schools) Act 2018, the state government’s ambitious plan to make Telugu a mandatory subject across all educational institutions remains stalled. Despite repeated official assurances, the implementation continues to face significant hurdles, with the latest postponement announced in a recent memorandum from the School Education Department. The memo, circulated to District Educational Officers, clarifies that Telugu will not be mandatory for Class IX students in the academic year 2025–26 or for Class X students in 2026–27. This extension follows a flurry of petitions filed in the Telangana High Court by non-Telugu-speaking students and parents seeking exemptions from the language directive. Earlier government orders mandating Telugu instruction had already been stayed by the court, further complicating the enforcement of the 2018 legislation.

The Act originally mandated Telugu instruction from Classes I to X in all schools, including those affiliated with CBSE, ICSE, IB, and Cambridge boards. To accommodate non-native speakers, the government introduced a simplified syllabus titled Vennela (Simple Telugu), while prescribing Singidi (Standard Telugu) for native speakers and those who had studied the language up to Class VIII. However, significant confusion arose when the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) reportedly wrote to central boards suggesting the replacement of Singidi with Vennela for the final school years. Parents and teachers expressed concern that this move might create scoring disparities between different groups of students.

For many Class X students unfamiliar even with the Telugu alphabet, the sudden requirement was described by parents as a “bolt from the blue.” Critics argue that such an abrupt academic burden, particularly during crucial board examination years, is unfair. This led to the “Freedom to Choose Language” campaign, which saw parents staging a Maha Dharna at Dharna Chowk. Protesters clarified that while they are not opposed to the Telugu language itself, they demand flexibility and the retention of options like Hindi and Urdu to protect their children’s future prospects. The government remains firm in its ideological stance, insisting that compulsory Telugu up to Class X is essential to preserve and promote the state’s cultural heritage. Officials argue that the directive aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes regional languages. However, with legal battles ongoing and fresh exemptions issued, the dream of total Telugu implementation remains in a state of perpetual postponement.