Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan to introduce Tamil as medium of instruction in select schools

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan plans to pilot Tamil as a medium of instruction in select schools, evaluating broader implementation later.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has decided to identify select Kendriya Vidyalayas where Tamil could be introduced as a medium of instruction on a pilot basis. It has also decided to take a call on whether to have regional languages as a medium of instruction in other Kendriya Vidyalayas on the basis of the outcome and evaluation of the pilot project.

KVS Deputy Commissioner R. Senthil Kumar, serving at its regional office in Chennai, has informed this decision to Coimbatore-based activist V. Eswaran in response to a representation made by the latter on January 28, 2026, for the implementation of Tamil as a medium of instruction at the Sowripalayam Kendriya Vidyalaya. The officer responded on February 23, 2026.

The officer said that Kendriya Vidyalayas were treated as ‘special category schools’ under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act of 2009. These schools were primarily established to cater to the eductional needs of children of transferable Central government and defence employees, whose postings may occur in the middle of an academic year.

Since Kendriya Vidyalayas had been classified as special category schools under Section 2(p) of the RTE Act, they have a distinct character as specified by the government and function in accordance with the Central government policies. The admission of children in these schools were governed by the guidelines issued by the KVS, from time to time, within the framework of the RTE Act.

“With regard to the introduction of Tamil as a medium of instruction in Kendriya Vidyalayas, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, while maintaining its status as a special category system, has initiated steps to identify select Kendriya Vidyalayas where Tamil may be introduced as a medium of instruction on a pilot basis. A decision regarding the implementation of the regional language as a medium of instruction in other Kendriya Vidyalayas will be taken based on the outcome and evaluation of the pilot implementation,” the communication read.

Mr. Eswaran said that the disposal of his representation by stating that the KVS had decided to introduce Tamil as a medium of instruction in select Kendriya Vidyalayas was a major victory in a long-standing struggle. He said that many Kendriya Vidyalayas do not even offer Tamil as an additional subject due to non-availabilty of faculty, apart from other reasons, and therefore, many students pass out of these schools without learning Tamil.