India, Aug. 11 -- The Tamil Nadu State Education Policy promises to "build an inclusive, equitable, resilient, and future-ready school education". It has backed the intent with radical initiatives and necessary funds: The FY25 state budget allocated Rs.44,042 crore for school education - 13.7% of the total state expenditure, among the highest in the country. Tamil Nadu, which pioneered mid-day meals in schools, now offers breakfast as well. The outcomes reveal their impact: The gross enrolment ratio is close to or above 95% at the primary, upper primary and secondary levels, with the retention rate exceeding 97%. Initiatives such as science labs and digital classrooms have helped boost learning outcomes among students from marginalised communities. The focussed investment in school education, similar to the trajectory followed by South East Asian countries, has helped Tamil Nadu emerge as an industrial powerhouse. What, however, stands apart in this focussed push to improve educational standards is the government's language policy. Tamil Nadu has adopted a two-language formula, fearing that the Centre's backing for a three-language policy is merely a camouflage for Hindi imposition. Linguistic pride is central to Tamil identity, and the Dravidian parties have historically been vigilant against attempts to privilege Hindi over other Indian languages. That said, the state needs to ask if it should reformulate its stand to offer more choices to its students. No language should be imposed on students; neither should a government limit the linguistic options available to students. And science, not political rhetoric and pride, must guide language policy. A rational policy could opt for a three-language policy - evidence suggests that children are quick to learn languages early. The third language need not necessarily be Hindi; a bouquet of options, including other Dravidian and foreign languages, could be offered. A more liberal language policy will make the state's progressive education policy even better....