TEACHERS
A statement on Language issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July, 1958 mentions the shortage of Urdu trained teachers and directs the State Government to make arrangements for the training of teachers in Urdu. Sub-Committee noted that complaints regarding acute shortage of Urdu trained teachers still continued in many states even after thirty two years.
Gujral Committee in its report, recommended that:
(i) immediate and effective steps should be taken to ensure expansion of training facilities in various States to cope with the demand;
(ii) keeping in mind the present paucity of trained Urdu teachers, states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal should set up Centres for giving concentrated short-term courses for Urdu teachers as has already been done by the Central Government at Solan in Himachal Pradesh from academic year 1973-74. These special courses should be sponsored and financed by the Central Government;
(iii) in the remaining States, where facility for teaching Urdu is to be provided, the number of Urdu teachers required is comparatively small and does not justify separate centres. Therefore, in these States Urdu
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medium sections should be opened in some of the training centres. The Central Government may also set up centres for some such States collectively at suitable places; and
(iv) all State Governments should conduct a quick survey throughout their States to assess the requirements of Urdu teachers for different stages of education and the number of Urdu teachers that are available to teach Urdu and other subjects through the Urdu medium. A committee of educationists including Urdu teachers from schools and colleges should be associated with the survey. While assessing the present need, it should also attempt a projection of the future needs. (4.286)
Andhra Pradesh: According to Government Statement, Urdu medium training facilities are provided in seven Govt. Teachers Training Institutions with an intake capacity of 450 per year. And this meets the needs according to officials. The Secretary Education also stated that these schools are exempt from Roster System. However, the non- officials complained of shortage of trained Urdu teachers in many schools and demanded expansion of teachers training facilities in Urdu.
Bihar: The Sub-Committee noted that there is no shortage of Urdu trained teachers in Bihar.
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There is reservation for Urdu medium students in the teachers training colleges. Urdu linguistic minority is running quite a few teachers training colleges in the State. These colleges are recognised by the State Government.
Delhi: There is an acute shortage of Urdu trained teachers in Delhi particularly in subjects like Mathematics and Science. In one school 24, and in another, 15 posts of Urdu teachers are lying vacant for the last 2-3 years.
There is a shortage of atleast 150 teachers in 27 Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools.
The Committee was told that there are three teachers' training centres in Delhi (two for B.Ed and one for Basic training) - one in Delhi University and the other in Jamia Millia Islamia. The Committee was also told that 5 seats in each of these instituions are reserved for Urdu medium students. There is no such reservation in basic school training centres while atleast 30 teachers are required every year.
Haryana: There is no shortage of trained Urdu Teachers in the State because there is one Teacher Training Centre at Ferozepur Namak exclusively for Urdu teachers.
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Himachal Pradesh A Spokesman of the Department of Education brought to the notice of this Committee that there was acute shortage of trained Urdu teachers in the State. Urdu representatives complained that the State Government does not take any step for the training of Urdu teachers. It was suggested that retired Government officers and the people of older generation having a fair knowledge of Urdu may be appointed in the schools till such time the trained teachers were available. Their representatives suggested that atleast 5 seats should be reserved for Urdu candidates in each of the five teaching centres run by the Department of Education. It was also suggested by Urdu representatives that there should be refresher courses for Urdu teachers.
Karnataka: Karnataka Rajya Urdu Teachers Association in its memorandum commented that the only training the Urdu Teachers receive is the training before taking up the job. But after that they have had no chance to get refresher or orientation training even under the New Education Policy. During the previous three years, not even 10% of the Urdu teachers are covered. They are trained in other languages where matter and content was misunderstood by Urdu teachers. Therefore, the training should cover Urdu teachers also.
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There are more than three thousands of Urdu Teachers vacancies in Karnataka since several years Urdu Education is suffering in the State. This requires immediate attention of the Government to fill up these vacancies.
The teachers training institutions in Urdu are there in North Karnataka but there is no such institution in South Karnataka. The general demand was that Urdu section be opened in the existing Teachers Training Institute in South Karnataka.
Maharashtra: No specific complaint regarding Urdu teachers has been made by the witness. One representative, however, suggested that there should be Refresher Course for Urdu teachers.
With regard to B.Ed., there are 24 colleges in the State but there is no Urdu medium B.Ed. college. Some representatives suggested that atleast in one college, arrangements should be made for Urdu medium training for minimum 15 students.
Rajasthan:
The Spokesman of the State Government was unable to apprise the Committee of the position of Urdu trained teachers and the extent of training facilities in Rajasthan. Facts and figures were also not provided by the Spokesman with the result that no assessment could be made in this regard.
Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Rajasthan), however, informed that there was dearth of Urdu trained teachers. The Anjuman also
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informed that 45 seats in two School Teacher's Training Centres and 15 seats in Regional Education College, Ajmer are available for teachers training in Urdu but not in Urdu medium. In Rajasthan 29 first grade, 64 second grade and 557 3rd grade Urdu teachers have been posted.
Witnesses complained that the facilities provided for the training of Urdu teachers is quite inadequate and Urdu trained teachers are not available according to the requirements.
Anjuman Tarraqqi Urdu (Rajasthan), in its memorandum suggested that facilities for training Urdu teachers can easily be increased as there are 30 teachers training colleges for B.Ed. and 80 School Teachers Training Centres at Rajasthan. Government of Rajasthan should ask these centres to allocate seats for teachers training in Urdu and Urdu medium as well.
One Urdu representative brought to the notice of the subcommittee that quite a few applications of Urdu minority instituions like Gharib Nawaz Educational and Economic Welfare Society Ajmer and Anjuman Taleem-ul-Muslemeen, Jaipur have applied many times for permission to open B.Ed. colleges with Urdu medium but their applications have been rejected. If these colleges are set up, there would be no problem of the shortage of Urdu trained teachers in Rajasthan.
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Uttar Pradesh: Many complaints were made by the witnesses regarding the shortage of Urdu trained teachers, appointment of teachers and facilities for training the teachers to teach through Urdu medium. Following facts were brought to the notice of the SubCommittee:
(i) State Government created 5000 posts of Urdu Primary teachers in 1972 and another 5000 in 1984. It is complained that the number of teachers actually appointed is much less than 10,000;
(ii) a large number of Urdu teachers who were appointed are forced to teach subject other than Urdu. It is also complained that a sizeable number of teachers is not qualified for teaching Urdu or in Urdu. Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Uttar Pradesh) in its memorandum submitted to the sub-Committee, has demanded that a committee should be formed to look into the allegations about the appointment of Urdu trained teachers and their exact work in schools. The Anjuman has also demanded that teachers who are not qualified to teach Urdu should be asked to teach subjects for which they are qualified and fresh appointments of Urdu trained teachers should be made against these posts. The said Anjuman has also pointed out that the State Government announced that the trained teachers would be appointed for junior classes. Instead of appointing fresh Urdu teachers, Department of Education promoted Urdu
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teachers of basic schools as teachers of junior classes. The result is that a large number of basic schools have no Urdu teachers and the teaching of Urdu has been virtually suspended in a large number of basic schools;
(iii) the teachers who are teaching Sanskrit and Art are untrained but their grade is higher than the grade which is being given to Urdu untrained teachers. It was demanded that there should be parity among the untrained teachers irrespective of the subject they teach;
(iv) in 1972 and 1984 untrained teachers were appointed in the schools managed by Zila Parishads. But the State Government has not made any arrangement for the training of these teachers who are getting a salary much less than they would have got after training;
(v) many witnesses complained that Headmasters discourage those teachers who take interest in the teaching of Urdu. Such teachers are generally transferred to non-Urdu medium schools without replacement. Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (UP), in its memorandum also complained that State Government had set up 4 Urdu teachers' training colleges at Lucknow, Agra, Mawana (Meerut) and Varanasi, but there is not a single trained Urdu teacher in any of these 4 colleges. The result is that
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the students lack the proper knowledge of Urdu. No Urdu medium school is affiliated to these training colleges where Urdu students could get practical training;
(vi) it is also complained that a grant of Rs. 10,000/- per annum is sanctioned to purchase Urdu books for these training colleges, but not a single Urdu book has been purchased; and
(vii) there is an acute shortage of Urdu trained teachers in Uttar Pradesh. According to All India Talim Ghar, it has set up U.T.C. Centres in 40 districts. In January 1989, the Chief Minister declared in an Urdu Education Convention that U.T.C. would be recognised for the appointment of Urdu teachers. But State Government has not recognised the U.T.C. so far. Recognition of U.T.C. can solve the problem of shortage of Urdu teachers to a large extent.
The sub-committee notes with satisfaction the recent announcement by the State Government recognising Muallim-e-Urdu Course of Aligarh for appointments of Urdu teachers.
West Bengal: Many Urdu speakers complained that majority of teachers working in primary schools were untrained and getting the salary much less than what trained teachers were entitled to. It was also a general complaint that in many Urdu medium schools a sizeable number of teachers do not know Urdu.
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It was demanded that Urdu should be introduced as a subject in all teachers Training Institutes. Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (West Bengal) has demanded in its memorandum that some seats should be reserved for Urdu candidates in atleast 20 Teachers' Training Institutes giving training to teachers for the Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools. An Urdu Organisation "Gulshane Hind" complained that there was arrangement for training boy students but no arrangement has so far been made for girl students. The result is that there is a dearth of female Urdu medium teachers.
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