Human Resources Development Ministry’s mid-session decision to remove German as the third language from Kendriya Vidayala is expected to affect about over 70,000 students across 500 KVs from Classes 6 to 8. Buoyed by the decision, Sanskrit Bharati – an RSS outfit – wants the government to implement the same in CBSE-affiliated schools and compulsorily teach Sanskrit till Class XII taking the plea that India is synonymous with Sanskrit. The outfit has brought out a book ‘Science in Sanskrit’ – that talks about test tube babies, ships, aero-planes and plastic surgery among other things in ancient India, but dissociates himself from PM Narendra Modi’s statement that Ganesha’s elephant-head was a surgical feat. Now the government’s decision has come under judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court issuing notice to it and seeking explanation. The decision regarding selecting language should be left to the students and parents and government should not impose its decision on them in the middle of the ongoing academic session. The Board of Governors (BoG) of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), headed by HRD Minister Smriti Irani, had in its meeting on 27th October decided that “teaching of German language as an option to Sanskrit will be discontinued herewith”. German has been kept as an additional subject for students. Whatever its political implications, learning a foreign language opens new vistas for career. On an average Indian students know three to four languages. For now the crisis is limited to KVs as it had signed MoU with Goethe Institute to teach German as it is the only foreign language for which there is a government funded institution. As far as private schools are concerned, they do not come under the purview. The decision of the government has been counter to its stand on reaching out to the world. The study of foreign language was included in the three language policy about 15 years ago to complement India’s global outlook and opening of its market. The HRD Ministry’s decision to do away with German language has certainly not gone well and the ministry should review it and if any change needed should be done at the beginning of the session and not in the middle of the term.
