 RECOMMENDATIONS

27. The Gujral Committee Report is a landmark in history of Urdu in free India. The non-implementation of its major recommendations and the tardy implementation of others has been the greatest regret of the Urdu speaking population. The result is that Government's credibility has suffered. Accordingly, GuJral Committee's recommendations should be implemented within a time frame on priority basis. The Government should also remove, through a well organised mass media campaign, misgivings about Urdu being a foreign language. Urdu forms an integral part of nation's heritage and has vastly contributed to the enrichment of Indian culture. The injustice done to Urdu in our education system must end. Urdu must become a language of administration for specific purposes in areas where 10% of the population is Urdu speaking. Urdu's Indian character must be brought out effectively in our books as well as our text books and immediate measures be taken for the teaching of Urdu and in Urdu. Urdu must occupy a pride of place in the country's Three Language Formula.

28. The terms of reference laid down in the Resolution of the Government of India constituting the Committee of Experts confined its role either to examining the present status of implementation of recommendations of the Gujral Committee or to rendering advice regarding the modalities of their further implementation. It has, therefore, to be understood that this Committee has functioned within this framework.

29. Speedy and Time-bound Implementation

The recommendations of the Gujral Committee for Promotion of Urdu are now more than 15 years old and have suffered primarily from the lack of decision by the Government. And since these recommendations have no legal or official sanction behind them, the extent to which these are implemented would depend on the attitude and judgement of individual Ministries and Departments of the Centre and State Governments at a particular point of time. This Committee strongly feels that this should not be allowed to happen. Accordingly it recommends that the Cabinet should take a definite decision on each of the recommendations and incorporate them in a comprehensive Resolution, which later should be moved by the Government for endorsement in both the Houses of Parliament. This, according to the Committee, would ensure the speedy and time bound implementation of the recommendations thereby inspiring confidence in the Urdu speaking population of the country.

EDUCATION

Primary Education

30. The Committee carefully considered the question of Urdu as medium of instruction at the primary level and came to the conclusion on the basis of available facts and figures that the existing arrangements for teaching of Urdu at the primary stage are inadequate. Accordingly, it recommends that:

a) the Education Departments of the States, Union Territories and local authorities should, in the light of Article 350-A of the Constitution make necessary arrangements for teaching in Urdu at the primary stage for the benefit of those who claim it as their mother tongue. A Committee to monitor the implementation of these Constitutional commitments may be set up in the concerned States with Chief Ministers as Chairmen and consisting of official as well as non- official members;

b) at present, facilities for education through the medium of Urdu at the primary stage are to be provided in institutions where there are ten students in a class or 40 in a school as a whole. This formula has been found inadequate to meet the needs of the Urdu speaking people. In substitution of this formula the Committee accepts the recommendations of the Gujral Committee that:

(i) where in an area speakers of Urdu constitute ten per cent or more of the total population, one or more Urdu medium primary schools should be set up according to need. Such schools need not be exclusively of one medium. Efforts should be made to keep Urdu and non- Urdu medium students at the same school to avoid segregation;

(ii) in an area where Urdu speaking people constitute less than ten per cent of the total population, an Urdu teacher should be provided in such schools as are likely to get a minimum of ten Urdu speaking students. This likelihood should be determined on the basis of

the population of Urdu speaking children of school going age in the area concerned;

(iii) for immediate purposes, bilingual teachers maybe appointed in schools mentioned in (ii) above. The existing teachers in such schools may also be given incentives to learn Urdu additionally; *(4.132)

(iv) the facility of Balwadis and Anganwadis at the pre-primary level should be made available to Urdu speaking children to feed Urdu medium primary schools and improve their standard.

Secondary Education

31. The Committee accepts the recommendations of Gujral Committee regarding Secondary Education and reiterates that:

(i) at the secondary stage of education) the present formula, which required the enrolment of 15 students belonging to a particular linguistic minority in each class and 60 in the last four classes before the facility of studying in the minority language concerned is provided, has presented a number of hurdles in actual practice. In substitution of this formula, it should be presumed that two third of the students leaving primary schools would be desirous of moving on

( * Recommendation number of the Gujral Committee for Promotion of Urdu).

to the next stage of education. Urdu medium sections in the existing secondary schools should be provided on this basis and Urdu knowing teachers appointed in anticipation of students offering Urdu as medium. The emphasis should be on students studying through different media in the same school;

(ii) in the case of higher secondary schools in cities having concentration of Urdu speakers, one Urdu medium higher secondary school may be opened for every group of 8 to 10 primary schools; (4.195 & 4.202)

(iii) state Governments should help is raising the standard of teaching in such Urdu medium higher secondary as are seen by linguistic minorities themselves; (4.197)

X X (iv) the pre-conditions, if any, for permitting the setting up of Urdu medium higher secondary schools and sections privately should be relaxed in favour of the linguistic minorities setting up such schools or sections, and the procedure so simplified that the required permission would be granted within two months of the date of application. (4.198)

The Committee also agreed with the suggestion made in the Gujral Committee Report that the facility of Urdu medium secondary schools should, as proposed in the case of Primary Education, be provided wherever the Urdu speaking population of an area constitutes 10% of the population. (4.144)

Three Language Formula

32. The Committee reiterated the Language Formula recommended by the Gujral Committee vide paras 4.240 and 4.241. The Committee felt that some special provision should be made for Urdu linguistic minority both in respect of Hindi and non-Hindi speaking States. The text of the approved Formula and the stages at which languages are to be taught is as under:

I. IN HINDI SPEAKING STATES

(a) Hindi (with Sanskrit as part of composite course);

(b) Urdu or any other modern Indian language excluding (a); and

In the case of Urdu linguistic minority, their mother tongue will be the first language, Hindi the second language and English or any other modern European language as the third language.It should further be ensured that, as recommended by the Gujral Committee in Para 4.242 of the Report, students whose mother tongue is Urdu should learn Hindi and those whose mother tongue is Hindi should get an opportunity to learn Urdu.

II. IN NON-HINDI SPEAKING STATES

(a) Regional language;

(b) Hindi;

(d) English or any other modern European language.

For Urdu linguistic minority, the following formula may be implemented:

(a) Urdu and Hindi (a composite course);

(b) Regional language;

It is clarified that the expression "Regional Language" wherever used in the above text in respect of non-Hindi speaking States should be interpreted as the official language of the State.

The stages at which different languages are required to be taught shall be as under:

FOR URDU LINGUISTIC MINORITY IN HINDI SPEAKING STATES

(i) Urdu as medium of instruction from class I to X

From class III to X where the student is studying in. Hindi/English medium schools;

(ii) Hindi from class III to X; and

(iii) English or any other modern European language from class VI to X

FOR URDU LINGUISTIC MINORITY IN NON-HINDI SPEAKING STATES

(i) Urdu as medium of instruction from class I to X

From class III to X where the student is studying in English/official language of the State as medium of instruction.

(ii) Urdu and Hindi as a composite course from class V to X

Hindi as an independent language from Class V to X;

(iii) Official Language of the State from Class III to X;

(iv) English or any other modern European language from Class VI to X.

33. The Committee, also observed that the Three Language Formula has not been properly appreciated by certain circles. The Three Language Formula has been conceived after a long and careful deliberation taking into account the cultural diversity of our country and the need to foster unity and integrity of our nation. Care was also taken in its formulation not to disarm our education by closing the way to acquire modern knowledge from the outside world.

Composite Course

With regard to the introduction of various languages in different stages, there has to be uniformity in the system. It was brought to the notice of the Committee that there is disparity in total load on the majority and minority language

students. This has to be looked into. As suggested by Gujral Committee introduction of a composite course could be a solution.

34. College and University Education

Gujral Committee's recommendation that at least one College should be set up in a state for making Urdu a medium of instruction up to the graduate level (4.369) has not been implemented (except in Andhra Pradesh) primarily because of the fact that there is no feeder channel due to the lack of facilities at the secondary level.

This Committee reiterates the recommendations of the Gujral Committee with regard to the setting up of the Urdu medium secondary schools and College(s) in State where there is sizeable Urdu speaking population. As regards post-graduate studies and research in Urdu, the Committee has observed that Urdu Departments exist in some of the Universities. There is need to extend these facilities in other Universities serving areas with sizeable Urdu population. (4.340,4.369)

35. Training of Urdu Teachers

The Committee accepted the recommendations of the Gujral Committee on training of Urdu teachers and observed that there was tremendous paucity of trained Urdu teachers in primary as well as secondary schools in the country. Accordingly, it recommended that immediate steps should be taken to expand the training facilities in the country at the Centre and the State to cope with the demand. The State Governments should also set up

centres for giving concentrated short-term courses for Urdu teachers on the lines of Urdu training Centres of the Central Government at Solan in Himachal Pradesh, Patiala in Punjab, and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh running under the aegis of the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. The NCERT, SCERTs and Regional Colleges at Ajmer, Bhopal, Mysore and Bhubaneshwar should step up programmes for the training of Urdu teachers. Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and other Central and State Universities should start crash programmes for the training of Urdu teachers to meet the immediate requirements. Wherever possible, the cooperation of Urdu Academies be taken for programmes for teachers to meet the immediate requirements. Wherever possible the cooperation of urdu Academies should also be sought. A tripartite meeting of NCERT, SCERTs and NCTE may be convened by the Union Department of Education to decide the curriculum.

The Gujral Committee has also recommended appointment of teachers who can teach in the language of the majority and also in Urdu. To achieve this end, the Committee has recommended provision of incentive for teachers desirous of learning to teach Urdu or in Urdu. This recommendation is very practical to meet the needs of one teacher schools and schools catering to areas where Urdu population is less than 10% as also of schools where Urdu medium classes are held. Teachers capable of teaching subjects in two languages will be very useful.

For this purpose, a Scheme of incentives should be worked out. The Committee recommends: (a) a scholarship scheme for learning Urdu and to teach in Urdu; (b) additional allowances for teaching in two languages. The amount of scholarship will vary between primary to secondary schools. The Scheme should be centrally funded as recommended by Gujral Committee. (4.286).

36. Inspection and Supervision

There is a complaint that standard of Urdu medium schools as also their results are poor. Parents are taking away their wards from the schools in sheer desperation. To meet this complaint, machinery for inspection and supervision of schools should be made effective by appointing Urdu knowing inspection staff.

The Committee recommends that the Inspectorate for this supervision should be independent of Education Department. Its charge should be both inspection and evaluation. At the end of every academic year, the results should be assessed both at the District and the State level by committees comprising officials as well as representatives of parents, teachers and Urdu organisations. The defects should be identified and remedial steps taken in the next academic year. The Committee feels that the involvement of parents, teachers and public organisations will go a long way in toning-up of education, improving administration and motivating the people to take more interest in the education of the children. The Committee also recommends that every State Government should set up an Evaluation Cell for appraising education in Urdu. (4.328 & 4.329)

37. Drop-outs in Urdu medium schools

The drop-out rate in general education at primary level is already very high but in Urdu medium schools it is higher. There is no programme of non-formal education or vocational training to cover Urdu drop outs. Adult Education programmes are also not carried out in Urdu in a large number of centres. Special measures should be taken to bring the Urdu students into schools and to check the drop- out rate. For weaker sections of Urdu speaking population, a flexible school system should be devised.

38. correspondence courses

The Committee accepts for immediate implementation, the, recommendations of the Gujral Committee for starting correspondence courses in Urdu. The State authorities should persuade at least one University to start correspondence courses in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. These courses should be started both at Diploma and the Certificate levels. The Jamia Millia Islamia should strengthen its correspondence course in Urdu. This University has already prepared a project for developing correspondence courses leading to the University degrees, diplomas and certificates in the Urdu language. This Committee was informed that this project has already been submitted to the Government for consideration. The Committee feels that such projects should be encouraged. The Bureau for Promotion of Urdu

which has already prepared the course content for correspondence course should start the course without further delay. Wherever possible, the co-operation of the State Urdu Academies and other voluntary organisations working for the promotion of Urdu should be sought. The Urdu Academies may also set up Urdu centres for meeting the demand for Urdu. (4.331, 4.332)