New Delhi: The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is learnt to have told the States that Hindi will not be thrust upon them under the three-language formula in schools.
The assurance was reportedly given by HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to the state education ministers during the meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) on Saturday.
According to news portal the Print, the education ministers had sought a clarification on the issue from Pokhriyal, especially after recent comments from Home Minister Amit Shah on Hindi.
What is CABE?
CABE is the highest decision-making body on education in the country and comprises state education ministers, heads of education bodies and prominent citizens of the country as members.
“Most of the states demanded education in their own mother tongues and the government is positive about it. The states have been told that they will not have to teach mandatory Hindi and can choose any three languages, including their mother tongue under the three-language formula,” the news portal said quoting a source present in the meeting.
What did the Home Minister say?
The Home Minister had last week triggered a furore in the country, more so in the southern states, after appearing to favour Hindi as a common or one language across the country. However, he clarified his position later on at a rally in Ranchi where he said that a child’s growth could be best achieved if he studied in his mother tongue, and mother tongue did not mean Hindi.
In May this year, the presentation of the draft national education policy succeeded protests nation-wide as a line in the policy draft was misinterpreted as the government’s stand on making Hindi compulsory for all states.
The state education ministers also drew the attention of the Centre to this provision at the CABE meeting, prompting the Minister’s clarification.
What is the three-language formula?
The three-language formula broadly spells out a provision under which a student is required to learn the mother tongue or a regional language, the official language (which could be either English or Hindi) and a modern Indian language.