DECISIONS REACHED AT THE MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOUTHERN ZONAL COUNCIL HELD AT OOTACAMUND IN MAY 1959
The Ministerial Committee of the Southern Zonal Council to consider safeguards for Linguistic Minorities met at Ootacamund on Saturday, the 16th and Sunday, the 17th May, 1959. The following persons attended :-
1. Sri C. Subramaniam, Minister of Finance, Government of Madras (Convenor).
2. Shri E.M.S. Nambudripad, Chief Minister of Kerala,
3. Sri S.B.P. Pattabhirama Rao, Minister of Education, Andhra Pradesh.
4. Sri K. Brahmananda Reddy, Minister of Finance, Andhra Pradesh, and
5. Sri Anna Rao Ganamukhi, Minister of Education, Mysore.
Sri R. A. Gopalaswami, I.C.S., Second Member, Board of Revenue, Madras, Sri K. V. Ramanathan, I.A.S., Deputy Secretary to the Government of Madras, Health, Education and Local Administration Department and Sri N. Jayaraman, Deputy Secretary to the Government of Madras, Public (Parition) Department from Madras State, Sri V. Ramachandran, I.A. S., Deputy Secretary to the Government of Kerala, Education Department, Kerala State and Sri Sidhya Puranik, Under Secretary to the Government of Mysore, Education Department, and the Private Secretary to the Education Minister front Mysore State also attended.
2. item 1 of the Agenda-Provision of facilities for instruction of Linguistic Minorities in the medium or mother tongue in the primary stage of education.
The Committee discussed the question of provision of facilities in primary and elementary schools in all the States for the instruction of pupils belonging to the linguistic minorities in their own Mother tongue in the light of the resolution adopted, on, this subject at the, Provincial Education Ministers' Conference held in August 1949. The question of the study of the regional language at the primary and post-stage by pupils belonging to the linguistic minorities was also discussed. The following decisions were finally taken :
(i) The position in respect of pupil strength and school facilities including teachers as on 1st November, 1956 in respect of separate schools and separate sections for linguistic minorities will be ascertained and continued without dimunition in every one of the four States provided that, in respect of Telgu pupils in Madras and Tamil pupils in Andhra Pradesh, the crucial date will be 1st October, 1953 and not 1st November, 1956. If the number of pupils goes down, corresponding reduction of school facilities including teachers may be made but no reduction should be effected in any individual case except under specific orders of the Government applicable to that case. If the number of pupils increases, additional facilities for teaching in the minorities languages will be provided including teachers on a scale not less liberal than that applicable to the linguistic majority. There is no objection to any State making provision for teachers on a more liberal scale and in special cases where demand for such provision on a more liberal scale is made, the State Government concerned should take the special features of each such case into account in passing orders.
(ii) In order to implement the above safeguard, it will be provided that all primary schools shall entertain applications from parents belonging to the linguistic minority groups for the admission of their children and for their instruction in the mother tongue for a period of three months ending a fortnight before the commencement of the school year. These applications should be entered in a register. Departmental arrangements should be made to see that no such applicant is refused admission for the reason that the number is insufficient in the particular school where the application is made; and that wherever necessary, inter-school adjustments are made in the matter of admission of the minority pupils.
(iii) Facilities will be provided in everyone of the four States for the study, by pupils belonging to the linguistic minority groups, of the regional language as an additional optional language from the IV Standard onwards so that pupils belonging to these groups may not be at a disadvantage if at the secondary stage they elect to study the regional language. These facilities will be financed by Government. That is to say, the facility will be provided freely in all schools under public management, i.e. Government or local body and the provision of such facilities in aided schools will be eligible for the usual grant from Government.
3. Item 2-Study of language in the Secondary stage of Education.
The question of making provision or the study of the mother tongue by the linguistic minorities at the secondary stage of education without deviation of the three language formula in the terms already accepted by all the States of the Southern Zone was discussed. It was noted that in everyone of the four-States provision was being made or would be made under the reorganised syllabus of secondary education
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for the study of linguistic minorities or the mother tongue in the secondary stage. In Madras, a pupil belonging to the linguistic minority can offer the mother tongue as an alternative either to the regional language (Part I of the language course) or to Hindi or other Indian language not included in Part I (Part II of the language course). In Kerala, a pupil belonging to the linguistic minority can, in practice, offer the mother tongue as an alternative only to the regional language. In Andhra Pradesh and Mysore, they can take it as the first language, either as a complete alternative to the regional language or as a part of a composite course consisting of more than one language. The extent that the mother tongue could be offered as an alternative to the regional language in all the States there was no compulsion to study the regional language. It was decided that this position was satisfactory and provision should continue. The recommendation of the Government of India that compulsory provision should be made for the study of linguistic minorities at the secondary stage of education of the regional language in addition to the mother tongue was considered and it was decided in view of the number of languages involved that no such compulsion was necessary, desirable or even possible.
4. The question whether such qualification as may be generally prescribed in respect of proficiency in the regional languages for purposes of public employment need be relaxed in favour of linguistic minority pupils who elect to study their mother-tongue in lieu of the regional language was considered as part of the question of safeguards to be provided for the linguistic minorities in the matter of recruitment to the Public services (item 9 below).
5. Item 3-Provision of facilities for linguistic minorities for instruction with the mother tongue as the medium of secondary stage of Education.
The Committee discussed the question of provision of facilities for instruction of linguistic minorities in their mother-tongue at the secondary stage of education. The Committee took note of the resolution adopted on this subject by the Provincial Education Ministers' Conference in August 1949 which contemplated (i) the opening or recognition by Government of separate schools for linguistic minorities with instruction in their mother tongue in areas where the number of such minority pupils justified the opening of separate schools, (ii) provision of Government and Local Body schools where 1/3rd of the total number of pupils desire to be instructed in their mother-tongue, and (iii) action by Government to see that aided schools also arranged for such instruction in similar circumstances. The difficulty in providing for instruction in minority language media in the different groups of optional subjects in the academic and diversified courses in the Higher Secondary Stage of education were also noted by the Committee. The point of view put forward by Madras was that the reference in the resolution of the Provincial Education Ministers' Conference to 1/3rd was unsatisfactory from the point of view alike of the linguistic minorities and Government, since in large schools separate section may become necessary and possible even if the ratio : was less than 1/3rd while in small school separate section may be uneconomical and therefore impracticable even if the ratio exceeded one third. This view found general acceptance. There was considerable discussion as to the minimum strength in each class and in the school as a whole which should be insisted upon for provision of facilities for instruction in minority languages. The following conclusions were finally arrived at unanimously :
(i) The position existing on 1st November, 1956 in respect of separate secondary schools for lingusitic minorities as well as separate sections for linguistic minorities in other secondary schools with particular reference to pupil strength and school facilities including teachers competent to teach in minority language should be ascertained and continued without change.
(ii) if the number of pupils decreases to such an extent as to justify reduction in any particular local area, such reduction may be effected; but no reduction should be made in any individual case except under the specific orders of Government applicable to that particular case.
(iii) if the number of pupils increases, additional teachers should be provided in such relation to the increased pupil strength as may be justified by the rules generally applicable to all schools.
(iv) For the purpose of providing facilities for instruction in the minority languages where such facilities do not exist, a minimum strength of 60 pupils in new Standard VIII to XI of the Higher Secondary Course and 15 pupils in each such standard will be necessary provided that, for the first four years after the commencement of provision of facilities, as strength of 15 in each standard in which the facilities are provided will be sufficient. This figure of 60 for all the standards and 15 for each standard shall be computed separately for each one of the diversified courses and for the academic course; and where different groups of optional subjects are provided in the academic course, separately for each such group of optional subjects.
6. Item 4-Provision of facilities for instruction of linguistic minority pupils with English as the medium in the Secondary Stage of education.
Is it necessary that provision for instruction in English medium should be made at all in Secondary schools which are maintained or aided by the State? If such provision is necessary should it be limited to any category of pupils or should it be available to all pupils without any restriction? These questions were discussed at length by the Committee. It was noted that it was the accepted policy of all the four States that the regional language should be medium of instruction at the secondary stage of education and that the only exception to this general rule was that pupils belonging to the linguistic minorities
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should be given instruction in the medium of their respective mother- tongue. In the guise of providing instruction in the English medium as a concession to linguistic minorities, this general policy should be modified or deviated from. The Convener was of the view that the children of migratory parents (whether belonging to the linguistic majority or the minorities) could be allowed to be educated in the English medium, since at present, that was the only language in which instruction was available in all parts of India. There was no case, however, for provision of similar facilities for children of non- migratory parents. If children of non-migratory parents of the linguistic minority groups could not, for any reason be given facilities for instruction in their own mother tongue they should be educated in the regional language rather than in English. There was general agreement that provision should be made for imparting instruction in the English medium to children of migratory parents and that children of non-migratory parents of the linguistic majority group in each State should be educated only in the regional language. There was considerable discussion as to whether provision for instruction in the English medium should not be made for at least certain categories of children of non-migratory parents of the linguistic minority groups, the Andhra Education Minister expressing the view that, where it was not Possible to provide for instruction of linguistic minority pupils in their own mother tongue, they should be allowed to Opt for instruction in the English medium, if facilities for such instruction were available. The following conclusions were finally arrived at unanimously.
(i) The position existing on 1st July, 1958 in respect of facilities for instruction in the English medium in separate sections of recognised secondary schools should be ascertained and continued without change.
(ii) Children of linguistic minority groups should be assured of the availability of Places in such sections in numbers not failing short of the position as on 1st July, 1958. Whether or not a similar assurance should be provided in respect of children of linguistic minority groups is a matter for each State to decide for itself.
(iii) Consistently with the foregoing, the State Governments should be free to implement their policy in respect of the medium of instruction in Secondary schools effectively. They should be under no obligation to increase the facilities for instruction in the English medium secondary Schools in excess of the position existing on 1st July, 1958 except in so far as the need therefor may arise as a result of future increase in the numbers of children of migratory parents (whether these belong to the linguistitc minority groups).
7. Item 5-Affiliations of schools and colleges using minority languages to bodies outside the State.
The Government of India's proposal to advise State Governments that affiliation of schools and colleges and other educational institutions to bodies outside the State in which they are functioning should be permitted without difficulty and that institutions thus affiliated should not suffer from disabilities in regard to grant-in- aid and other facilities was considered by the Committee. It was unanimously decided that there was no need to provide for affiliation of schools in any State to bodies outside the State. As for colleges, it was a matter for the inter University Board to consider.
8. Item 6-Use of Minority Languages for Official purposes.
The State Reorganisation Commission has recommended that if there is a substantial minority Constituting 30 per cent or more of the population of a State, the State should be recognised as bilingual for administrative purposes and that, if 70 per cent or more of the total population of a District is constituted by a group which is a minority in the State as a whole , the language of the minority group and not the State language should be official language in that district. In districts, municipal areas and smaller units where there are minorities constituting 15 to 20 per cent of the population, Government notices, Electoral Rolls, etc. should be printed in both the languages and documents in minority languages should be permitted to be filed in courts. These recommendations were considered by the Committee which noted that there was no single minority group in any of the four States reconstituting more than 30 per cent of the total population of the State or 70 per cent or more of the population of a district. It observed that neither the two safeguards contemplated by the States Reorganisation Commission (viz., declaring the State to be bilingual or declaring a language other than that of the majority as the official language of a district) had any application to any of the four States. As regards the suggestion of the Commission regarding recognition. of minority languages for specific purposes in a district or a smaller area, it was decided that every municipal town and the non-municipal area of every taluk, should be treated as a separate local area for this purpose and that a list of such local areas where 20 per cent of the people of a taluk or municipality spoke a language different from that of a majority language of the State should be Prepared for each State. The following steps should be taken in respect of every local area included in the list thus prepared-
(i) All important Government notices and rules, Electroal Rolls. etc. should be published in the minority language or languages.
(ii) Forms etc., to be used by the public should be printed both in the regional language and in the minority language.
(iii) Facilities for registration of documents in the minority language should be provided.
(iv) Correspondence with Government Officers in the minority languages should be permitted.
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(v) Permission should be given to file documents in the minority languages in the Courts in the area.
(vi) An endeavour should be made to secure in so far as this may be found practicable with due regard to administrative conveniences that officers posted to work in such local areas are persons who possess adequate knowledge of the minority language.
The Andhra Pradesh Government which had originally proposed to take up the question of acceptance of the suggestions of the Commission in this matter along with the main question of prescribing the official language of the State agreed to fall in line with the other State in this matter.
9. item 9-Safeguards for Linguistic Minorities in the matter of recruitment to the Public Services of the State.
Item 9 being a general question of which items 7 and 8 were parts, it was taken up before consideration of the latter items.
10. The Committee noted that, in the matter of recruitment to the Public Services of the State linguistic minority groups would not be put to any special difficulty where the official language of a State continued to be English and no conditions were imposed that a knowledge of the majority language of the State was necessary for recruitment to the services or that competitive examinations for recruitment to the services should be written only in the majority language of the State. But Madras had declared Tamil to be the official language of the State and had provided that, to be eligible for appointment to any service by direct recruitment a person should have an adequate knowledge of the official language of the State namely Tamil, a person with an adequate knowledge of Tamil being defined as one-