Parliamentary panel suggests Hindi, local languages as medium of instruction in all institutions

NEW DELHI: A parliamentary committee has recommended that the medium of instruction in technical and non-technical higher education institutes such as IITs in Hindi-speaking states should be Hindi and in other parts of India their respective local language. It also recommended that Hindi should be one of the official languages of the United Nations.

In its 11th report presented to President Droupadi Murmu last month, the Committee of Parliament on Official Language, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, recommended that local languages should be given preference over English in all states.

The committee suggested that in all technical and non-technical institutions in the country, Hindi or local language should be used as the medium of instruction and the use of English should be made optional, sources said.

BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, who is the deputy chairman of the committee, told PTI that the committee has framed the recommendations as per the new National Education Policy which suggested that the medium of instruction should either be official or regional languages.

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The committee has suggested that Hindi should be given a respectable place in 'A' category states and it should be used 100 per cent. The medium of instruction in IITs, central universities and Kendriya Vidyalayas in Hindi-speaking states should be Hindi and in other parts of India their respective local language, the panel recommended.

Mahtab said in higher education institutions such as Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, Hindi is being used only 20-30 per cent, whereas it should be used 100 per cent. "English is a foreign language and we should do away with this colonial practice,” he said.

Similar sentiment was also expressed by BJP member Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who is convenor of the second sub-committee. She said English is an “alien language” and “we want it to be eliminated” and it should be replaced by Hindi and other regional languages.

“The recommendations are as per the New Education Policy which has emphasised on imparting education in regional and Hindi languages equally,” she told PTI. Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Gupta said the committee recommended that the medium of instruction in 'A' category or Hindi-speaking states should be Hindi and in the rest of the states, it should be in the respective local languages.

All states and Union territories are divided in three groups (regions) on the basis of progressive usage of Hindi. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in category 'A'; Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, and the Union territories of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are in category 'B'; and the rest of India is categorised as 'C'.

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'Hindi should be made an official UN language'

In its report, the committee recommended that Hindi should be made as one of the official languages in the UN. "A total of 193 countries are members of the United Nations but how many countries use foreign languages as official language,” Mahtab asked. The BJD leader said the use of Hindi in technical organisations like the ISRO or DRDO and the Ministry of Home Affairs is 100 per cent.

This was the 11th report of the committee and it submits one report in five years. However, this time within three years the committee submitted two reports. It is the discretion of the President whether to accept a report or not. There are more than 12 volumes of the technical dictionary of Hindi.

The committee was set up in 1976 under the Official Language Act, 1963. It comprises 30 members of Parliament -- 20 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. It reviews the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes and submits a report to the President making recommendations.

The end of compulsory English language question paper in the recruitment examinations and adequate arrangement for Hindi translation in the orders of the high courts in Hindi speaking states are among over 100 recommendations made by the committee in its latest report.

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The panel noted that officers and employees in the central government who deliberately don't work in Hindi in Hindi-speaking states should be warned and if they don't perform despite warning, it should be reflected in their Annual Performance Assessment Report (APAR).

Other recommendations include communication by central government offices, ministries or departments, such as letters, faxes, and emails, should take place in Hindi or local languages, simple and easy language should be used in official work and invitation letters, speeches, and moderation for any events organised by the central government should all be in Hindi or local languages.