'Eye-opener for divisive politics': Dharmendra Pradhan quotes Bihar-born girl who topped Tamil exam

In a time when language is often wielded as a tool of division in political discourse, a young girl’s academic achievement offers a quiet yet powerful counterpoint. When D. Jiya Kumari, a Bihar-born student, topped the Tamil paper in the Class 10 state board exams of Tamil Nadu, she did more than just excel in school—she challenged a narrative. Her success has prompted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to call it an "eye-opener" for those who seek to stoke linguistic divides.

In this insightful piece, we unpack how a single student’s journey can symbolize the deeper currents of national unity, cultural integration, and the potential of India's multilingual ethos. At the intersection of politics, policy, and identity, Jiya Kumari’s story reminds us that education has the power not just to bridge gaps—but to dissolve them entirely.

Speaking about the example of a student belonging to Bihar-origin topping the Class 10 Tamil examination in the southern state this year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remarked that her tale is an eye-opener for "those who are attempting to make divisions on the basis of language".

Pradhan was addressing a function on Monday to inaugurate a Bharatiya Bhasha Summer Camp, which is being organized in government schools this summer to introduce children to the study of Indian languages. He also inaugurated learning material like primers and special modules in Indian languages. He had dedicated the event to D Jiya Kumari, the Bihar student who achieved 93 out of 100 in the Tamil paper of the Tamil Nadu state board.

We have noticed this in the paper recently. She was born in Bihar, and her father came to Chennai to make a living 17 years ago. His three daughters have now learned Tamil in school. Jiya Kumari got 93 out of 100 in Tamil and 467 out of 500 total," Pradhan said.

Pradhan's remark comes after the Centre and Tamil Nadu had a confrontation over the State's refusal to adopt components of the National Education Policy 2020, including the three-language policy. The State, which has a two-language policy and students learn English and Tamil in school, had viewed the three-language policy as a move to implement Hindi.