A.P. govt. urged to reintroduce Telugu medium in UG courses
Members of the organisation said their demand aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) and would benefit students, especially those from rural areas.
They also wanted the authorities to revive the 'three-major' degree course system, which, they said, offered greater academic flexibility besides meeting the diverse interests of students better than the current 'single-major' structure.
In a detailed representation submitted to the APSCHE chief, the delegation also emphasised the urgency of releasing the admission notification for undergraduate programmes.
They also raised serious concerns about the online admission process, calling it inconvenient and financially burdensome, especially due to the ₹500 non-refundable registration fee, which was not covered under fee reimbursement scheme.
Citing the growing number of teaching vacancies in universities, they urged the government to expedite the recruitment and suggested that services of qualified faculty from government degree colleges should be utilised to temporarily address shortage.
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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Uddhav's Mumbai rally against Hindi imposition encouraging, says CM Stalin
CHENNAI: DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin said in a tweet on Saturday that the language war waged by the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu against Hindi imposition has transcended state boundaries and sparked protests in Maharashtra. He was referring to the rally against Hindi imposition in Mumbai led by Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday. He further said the BJP, which disregards the law, says it would allocate funds only if Tamil Nadu schools agree to teach Hindi as the third language. However, in a state which is ruled by BJP itself, it had to back down fearing public backlash. Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray jointly participated in a rally in Mumbai to celebrate the victory after the Maharashtra state government rolled back its decision to introduce Hindi as the third language in primary schools. Referring to Raj Thackeray's questions at the rally- 'What is the third language in UP or Rajasthan?' and 'Why is Hindi being forced on non-Hindi-speaking states while Hindi-speaking states remain economically backward?', Stalin said, 'I know the union government, which gives preference to developing Hindi and Sanskrit, will have no answers to these questions.' 'Will the union government shed its vindictive approach of insisting on the three-language policy under the NEP and release the Rs 2,152 crore SSA funds to Tamil Nadu?' the CM asked.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Why is Maharashtra debating over Hindi?
The story so far: The linguistic debate in Maharashtra continues days after the Maharashtra government withdrew two orders introducing Hindi as the third language in primary education across Marathi and English medium State Board schools. The government has appointed a committee under renowned economist Dr. Narendra Jadhav to study the three-language policy. What is the language debate in Maharashtra? On April 16, the Maharashtra government issued an order making Hindi mandatory as the third language in all English and Marathi medium schools of the State Board in Maharashtra. The government said that it was as per the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. 'At present, two languages are being taught from Grade 1 to Grade 4 in all the English and Marathi medium schools in the State. As per the State Education Framework, 2024, Hindi will be mandatory as the third language in all the English and Marathi medium schools from Grade 1 to Grade 5,' the order stated. Till now, third language was introduced only in Grade 5 in English and Marathi medium State Board schools. The other medium schools already have a three-language policy in primary education. What was the reaction? There was widespread opposition to the government's decision on two grounds — first, that a third language should not be imposed in primary school from Grade 1 to Grade 5. The second ground was about the imposition of Hindi. Regional linguistic groups, academics, civil society members, and prominent literary figures raised their voice against the move which was dubbed as an effort to 'force Hindi', and a move towards 'cultural hegemony'. The Maharashtra government's own language committee wrote to the government seeking its immediate revocation. Experts argued that the NEP, 2020 focussed on R1 and R2, which is the mother-tongue, and an additional second language for primary education. They said that children should not be burdened with learning three languages in primary school. 'Why should there be an imposition of Hindi? This is a concerted effort for cultural hegemony. This is in line with the RSS' plan of 'Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan'. In Maharashtra, the Marathi manoos will stand for his linguistic, cultural identity. This is a historic moment since the movement for the reorganisation of States on linguistic basis. The entire State has stood against the government's imposition of Hindi,' Deepak Pawar of Marathi Abhyas Kendra said. How did the government respond? After a severe backlash, Maharashtra education minister Dada Bhuse promised to revise the government resolution (GR). 'Hindi will not be mandatory,' he announced. On June 17, the government revised the GR, making Hindi a 'general' third language in schools. It stated that the students had the option to learn any other Indian language as the third language, but that it was mandatory for at least 20 students to come together to make the demand. 'The government will make a teacher available or will make provision for online learning if at least 20 students come together to learn any other Indian language apart from Hindi,' the revised GR stated. Also read:Language of unity: On Maharashtra and the issue of Hindi However, this drew further backlash as academics and regional linguistic political parties called it an effort to impose Hindi through the backdoor. 'The whole exercise of the meeting of the steering committee was carried out in secrecy by the government. The language committee of the government itself was never consulted on the move. The decision is illogical. It has no scientific backing by educationists, child psychologists. It has been taken without any consultation with the stakeholders and experts. At a time when the Marathi culture and language is not being respected by its own government, this is an assault on the linguistic identity of the State,' said Laxmikant Deshmukh, head of Maharashtra's language committee. What about political realignments? The issue provided a fillip to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which counts 'Marathi asmita' or linguistic chauvinism as its core ideology. 'We are Hindus, not Hindis,' he said. It paved the path for the reunification of the Thackeray cousins after two decades. Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray joined hands against the government's move, even holding a joint rally. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar too openly expressed his displeasure with the government's decision and said that Hindi should not be imposed till Grade 4. This has led to an unease within the Mahayuti with Eknath Shinde not wanting to be seen as standing against the cause. In the face of upcoming local body elections, the language debate has led to changed political dynamics. What is the way ahead? The government has announced the scrapping of the two controversial GRs issued on April 16 and June 17. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee under Dr. Narendra Jadhav to look into the three-language policy, and said the government will accept his report. Academics have raised questions on Dr. Jadhav's expertise in school education, and have demanded the scrapping of the committee as well as the decision to impose the three-language policy in primary education. Opposition parties have said the government should scrap the three-language policy altogether. 'We will not accept the three-language policy,' Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena UBT leader, said.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Primary, upper primary schools: ‘Government's merger, pairing plan in sync with NEP'
There seems to be no looking back for the U.P. basic education department on its decision on the merger or pairing of primary and upper primary schools where enrolment is less than 50 students, an official said. A single-judge bench of Justice Pankaj Bhatia reserved the order on Friday evening after the state government presented its viewpoint, justifying the merger of schools. (FOR REPRESENTATION) The state government is hopeful that their counsel has presented the government's side well before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court that has reserved the judgment for Monday. 'If we start the proposed pre-nursery or kindergarten schools for children before the age of 6, our students will be better prepared when they go to class 1,' an official said. Defending its decision, a senior official on Saturday clarified that only the policy of pairing is being implemented and not to close schools. This policy is in sync with the National Education Policy where one school is being designated for pre-primary and the other school for primary / upper primary school, the official added. Small schools are being linked with larger units. The schools, in which the enrolment of students is very low and where there are operational difficulties, are being linked with nearby big schools, an official said on condition of anonymity. The official argued that in several UP government schools where enrolment is relatively low, the education system can be made more effective and student-centric by proper and shared use of available physical and educational resources such as school buildings, classrooms, ICT equipment and various educational materials . A single-judge bench of Justice Pankaj Bhatia reserved the order on Friday evening after the state government presented its viewpoint, justifying the merger of schools. The government counsel apprised the court about such primary schools that have zero students. They also informed the court about primary schools where the strength of students was less than 15.
