Facing flak, HRD ministry removes Hindi clause from education policy draft 

Amid controversy over the recommendation of an HRD Ministry panel to teach Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states, a revised draft education policy was issued on Monday that did not have a mention of the language being compulsory.

The DMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu had strongly opposed the three-language formula in the draft National Education Policy and alleged that it was tantamount to thrusting the Hindi language.

"Students who wish to change one or more of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6 or Grade 7, so long as they are able to still demonstrate proficiency in three languages (one language at the literature level) in their modular Board Examinations some time during secondary school," the revised draft of the NEP said.

In the earlier draft, the panel had suggested mandatory teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.

"Students who wish to change one of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6, so long as the study of three languages by students in the Hindi-speaking states would continue to include Hindi and English and one of the modern Indian languages from other parts of India, while the study of languages by students in the non-Hindi-speaking states would include the regional language, Hindi and English," the draft policy had earlier said.

The PMK, an ally of the BJP, had also alleged that the recommendation was imposition of Hindi and wanted the scrapping of the proposal.

"It was a draft report and not a policy yet. We have sought feedback from various stakeholders. The committee has modified the earlier draft and made some changes," a Human Resource Development Ministry official said.

According to the revised draft, the modular board examinations for language proficiency would test only basic proficiency in each language.

"Such a change in language choice in Grade 6 would certainly be feasible if the student so desires and would in such cases be supported by teachers and the schooling system."

The 7-member Kasturirangan Committee has recommended teaching of Hindi, English and one regional language in the non-Hindi states.

Well-known academician K. Nageshwar, a professor at Osmania University Hyderabad, pointed out that while south Indians learn Hindi, Hindi-speaking people don't want to learn any South Indian language.

"We are not against Hindi but there should equal propagation of one of the south Indian languages in north India. People say learn Hindi for national unity. Why not they learn Tamil, Malayalam or Telugu for national unity?

"National unity can't be prerogative or requirement of only Hindi-speaking people. Hindi-speaking people should also have a sense of national unity. National unity or linguistic unity can't be one-way traffic," he told IANS.

Nageshwar alleged that the BJP was identified with Hindi chauvinism and pointed out its proposals for displaying boards on highways in Hindi.

The draft recommendation had evoked mixed reactions in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where the anti-Hindi sentiment was not as strong as that in Tamil Nadu, but people still felt that no language should be "imposed".

Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who had the formed the panel when he was the HRD minister in the previous term, had earlier asserted that no language should be imposed on anyone. He clarified that the committee had only prepared a draft report and no decision had been taken on implementing it.

(With agencies inputs)