Overview

• Lakshadweep’s Education Department issued a May 14 directive under the National Curriculum Framework 2023 removing Arabic and Mahal from the school curriculum.
• On June 4, Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty described the move as “deeply disturbing” and called for its strongest condemnation.
• Sivankutty said the removal contradicts the National Education Policy’s commitment to promoting mother tongues and breaches constitutional protections for linguistic minorities.
• He warned the change erodes Lakshadweep’s cultural heritage and urged democratic forces and civil society to demand immediate reversal of the directive.
• The clash underscores a broader governance dispute between Lakshadweep’s administration and state authorities over centralized NEP implementation versus regional language preservation.