INSPECTING STAFF FOR URDU
 DIRECTORATE
 

It is generally complained that most of the inspecting staff of Urdu medium schools in the States is non-Urdu knowing.

Some of the witnesses bemoaned that non-Urdu knowing staff could not appreciate the problmes of Urdu teaching or teachers or students and it is also not in a position to give proper guidance to Urdu medium schools. In view of such complaints made by Urdu speakers, Gujral Committee had made the following recommendations:

"We are of the view that one Joint Director(Urdu) should be appointed in states with a sizeable Urdu speaking population like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and the Union Territory of Delhi to look after the Educational problems of the linguistic minority of Urdu speakers. They should essentially be Urdu knowing. The raised status of the Head of the Inspectorate would help quicker solution of problems and removal of difficulties. In states other than those mentioned above, an Urdu knowing officer of appropraite status should be entrusted with the job."

Andhra Pradesh

There is one Urdu Officer in the Directorate of school education but there is an acute shortage of Urdu knowing inspection staff.

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Bihar

There is a large number of Urdu medium schools, and the schools in which Urdu is being taught as a subject, but there are no Urdu knowing inspectors in the Department of Education.

Many of the witnesses demanded that Urdu Directorate should be set up at Patna with its offices at district level. Directorate should implement the policy of the State Government regarding the promotion of Urdu and should see that the recommendations of Gujral Committee are properly implemented.

Gujarat

For Urdu Primary School inspectors there is a Primary Training College. Matriculates are eligible to join it, but Urdu medium High School education not being there (except in two schools in Ahmedabad), the feeder line for Urdu medium PTC is poor.

There are only two Assistant Education inspectors for the 92 Urdu Primary schools in Ahmedabad. The teaching conditions and results of Urdu Primary Schools are very poor. The result is that students switching over to Gujrati in Secondary stage are at a disadvantage. A suggestion has emerged that Directorate of School Inspection and Evaluation should be created quite independent of Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education.

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Involvement of parents should be attempted through joint meetings of Govt. Officials, Teachers' representatives, Parents' representative and Voluntary organisations to review the results and teaching, find the defects and work out remedial action.

Involvement of parents and voluntary organisations in this process was very much insisted upon by non-Officials who met this Sub- Committee.

Haryana

There is no Urdu knowing inspector in the Department of Education in Haryana. Urdu speakers have demanded that atleast one Inspector should be appointed for Urdu schools.

Himachal Pradesh

No separate Inspectorate has been set up for Urdu classes. The general Inspectors there to look after the Urdu teaching also.

Karnataka

The particulars of the existing Inspectors of Schools for Urdu schools is 42+12 ie 54. The Inspectors under the Directorate of Urdu and other Minority Language Schools (12) are attached to the District Offices (Deputy Director of Public Instructions). The other 42 Inspectors are attached to the office of the Assistant Educational Officer in different districts. There are only two Urdu Educational Officers Posts, one at Head Quarter and one at Gulbarga. The Inspectorate staff is

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insufficient because the Inspectors of Schools attached to Assistanct Educational Officers' Office on an average supervise 3 to 4 Tehsils. This has not enabled detailed inspection and follow up. In the Urdu speaking concentration areas such as, Gulbarga, Bihar, Raichur, Bellary and Karwar, the number of Inspectors of Schools is not adequate. For supervision and inspection of secondary schools, there are no Subject Inspectors at district Level. There are only three special posts in Joint Director's Office at Gulbarga for the whole of the State.

This Directorate of Urdu and other Minority Languages is functioning under the Commissioner for Public Instruction. The Directorate at present has the following functions:

(i) inspections of High Schools and Primary Schools, in Urdu and other Minority languages in the State;

(ii) review of Inspection of Urdu Schools done by Divisional Educational Officers and Inspector of Schools;

(iii) to receive grievances from the districts and refer them to concerned officers for solving them, as this Directorate has no independent administrative powers;

(iv) to conduct seminars, in-service training for Urdu and other Minority Language teachers;

(v) to collect and consolidate information; and

(vi) to Co-ordinate with Organisations for development of Urdu.

Karnataka Rajya Urdu Teachers Association in its memorandum has commented that before reorganisation of the Education

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Department in 1968, Urdu schools were under the supervision and administrative control of the Urdu knowing Inspectors of Schools. In the last 22 years the schools are under the control of officers with no knowledge of Urdu.

In this system, Urdu education and its quality has suffered. Therefore, for effective supervision and administration, Urdu Education should be brought under the Control of Urdu Directorate. This was announced by the previous Government in its budget sessions of the years State Assembly in the 1987 and 1989, but it is yet to be established.

Rajasthan

There is only one Deputy Education Officer at the Headquarters. It is not physically possible for him to inspect all Urdu schools of the State. it was demanded that Urdu knowing Joint Director, with supporting staff should be appointed.

West Bengal

State Government Spokesman informed the Sub-Committee that the inspecting staff in Department of Education was not appointed on the basis of language. Therefore, there was no separate staff for inspecting Urdu medium schools.

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Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh has set up a Directorate for Urdu in 1989. The Directorate has a supporting staff of about 9 persons. According to the information provided by the staff of the Directorate, no Urdu work has been assigned to them.

In response to a question raised by a member of the SubCommittee, the Director replied that he did not visit any part of the State only because he had not been assigned the job of inspecting Urdu schools.

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