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Controversy created deliberately: Irani
HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Friday said a controversy over German being replaced in KV schools has been created ‘deliberately’ and asserted that its continuation as third language would have been a violation of the Constitution.
New Delhi: HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Friday said a controversy over German being replaced in KV schools has been created ‘deliberately’ and asserted that its continuation as third language would have been a violation of the Constitution.
"The schools were teaching German as the third language which was in violation of the Constitution, knowing that German is not a third language. We or the ministry or KVs could not have renewed the contract. I have taken oath under Indian Constitution and I will abide by it," Irani told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
According to the Ministry, the MoU signed between Kendriya Vidyalaya or central schools and Goethe Institute-Max Mueller Bhawan in 2011 to offer German as the third language was also not referred to the ministry at any stage.
Irani said as far as the affected students of Class VI to VIII are concerned, KVs have started providing them counselling. Students will have the option of picking any Indian language as the third language instead of Sanskrit. "If a student wishes to take Tamil as the third language, we will ensure a Tamil teacher is provided," she said.
The Human Resource Development Ministry had last week decided to replace German with Sanskrit as the third language in the KVs, arguing that the existing arrangement was against the three-language formula and "violated" the national policy on education.
The decision is expected to affect over 70,000 students across 500 KVs from Class VI to VIII. A communication by KVs released on November 18 said that grades obtained by students of Class VI to VIII in German as third language so far would be considered in compilation of overall annual assessment of the third language.
Under SC scanner:
Government's decision to drop German as an alternative to Sanskrit as third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas has come under judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court on Friday issuing notice to it and seeking its explanation. Agreeing to give an urgent hearing on the controversy, a bench headed by Justice A R Dave asked the government to file its response on a PIL and posted the case for hearing on November 28.
Advocate Reena Singh, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the decision regarding selecting language should be left to the students and parents and government should not impose its decision on them.
She also contended that government should not impose the decision in the middle of the ongoing academic session.The court was hearing a petition filed by a group of parents of Kendriya Vidyalaya students who challenged the government decision.
