New Delhi: The report of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Languages, which has sparked a political controversy over fears of Hindi imposition, does not actually impose the language on non-Hindi speaking areas, and is in accordance with the principles laid down by the New Education Policy. Two MPs on the committee
The report of the committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, recommended that India’s scheduled languages, including Hindi, be given priority in public offices, institutions of higher education such as IITs and IIMs, and local courts (but not in high courts). The panel has also noted that in most public institutions, the use of Indian languages is unsatisfactory, with both asking not to be named.
The committee’s report, submitted to President Draupadi Murmu on 9 October, paves the way for wider use of Indian languages as a medium of instruction, for office work and lower court proceedings. Simply put, a student of IIT Kanpur can study in Hindi while IIM Sambalpur will teach in Oriya as well. A government employee in Andhra Pradesh can submit his leave application in Telugu. For years English was the primary medium of instruction. Now, English will only be optional,” said a senior MP who is a member of the panel.
This means that higher education institutions will have to compulsorily offer courses in Hindi or the local language (as the case may be). They can even offer them in English.
According to the report and the two members, the use of Hindi would be mandatory in Area A as defined in the Official Languages Act 1963. Under the law, states are divided into three categories based on the number of people who speak Hindi. , Region A includes Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and the Union Territories of Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
“In these states (and union territories), we have reiterated that Hindi should be made compulsory in all public institutions including IITs, IIMs, Kendriya Vidyalayas and educational bodies such as central universities, courts and government offices. Compulsory use of Hindi, however, does not cover Category B and C states, where it is not the main language in everyday life,” said one of the two members.
Tamil Nadu has always been outside the purview of the language law.
“To give an example, IIT Guwahati should teach in either Assamese or Hindi. Similarly, IIM Joka will offer management courses in Bengali or Hindi,” said the first MP. Both will also offer courses in English.
Another legislator told HT that the panel found several shortcomings in the use of scheduled languages. The use of Hindi in educational institutions (in the respective areas) did not exceed 30%. In Central Government only Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defense is working 100% in Hindi. Institutions like ISRO use Hindi in 98% of their work.
“We found that in top universities like BHU, Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia – all falling in Region A – Hindi was rarely used,” said the second person.
However, for official use, the use of Hindi or the local language, while not mandatory, may not really be optional, if the recommendations of the report are implemented.
If an officer uses English in official documents or communications, they should be asked why they did not use Hindi or the local language, the report suggests. And, the continued use of English should be noted in their permanent record.
The committee’s report, the two MPs said, reiterates the requirement of the Official Languages Act of 1963, but focuses on Indian languages in the new education policy.
The new education policy, approved by the Center in 2020, focuses on students’ mother tongue as the medium of instruction, even as it sticks to the so-called “three-language formula”, while stressing that It is said that no language will be imposed on anyone. , The three languages are English, Hindi and the local language of the region.
“Wherever possible, the medium of instruction shall be the home language, mother tongue, local language or regional language, at least up to grade 5, but preferably up to grade 8 and beyond. Thereafter, wherever possible, the home or local language will continue to be taught as a language,” the NEP said.
Region B includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and the Union Territories of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Area C includes states and union territories other than those in categories A and B.
“Region B is defined as the states where Hindi is used up to 80% and Region C are the states where Hindi is used up to 65%. In these states, public offices, higher education institutions and local The courts should either use Hindi or the regional language,” said the second MLA.
