German in Kendriya Vidyalayas Controversy – Congress Exposed
NITICENTRAL STAFF
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Team Niti Central takes a threadbare look at the manner in which a controversy has been whipped up by the Delhi Media to bait HRD Minister Smriti Irani on the German as a Third Language issue in the Kendriya Vidyalayas.
First the facts
- The Third Language system we have today is the legacy of the Indira Gandhi era when the Government mandated by Law what languages ought to be taught and how many.
– It is the Congress Party over the years from 1968, 1986 and 1992 that mandated the so called “Three Language Formula”.
– This culture of Government mandated Language Curriculum is the result of decades of Nehru-Gandhi statism and interference in education at all levels.
– The Three Language Formula mandated by the then Congress Governments required
study of a modern Indian language, preferably one of the southern languages, apart from Hindi and English in the Hindi-speaking States, and of Hindi along with the regional language and English in the Non-Hindi speaking States
– This of course was Indira Gandhi’s Orwellian idea of “National Integration”.
– This was Insitutionalized by the Sonia Gandhi led UPA in 2005 through the National Curriculum Framework
“Children will receive multilingual education from the outset. The three language formula needs to be implemented in its spirit promoting multilingual communicative abilities for a multilingual country.
In the non-Hindi-speaking States, children learn Hindi. In the case of Hindi speaking States children learn a language not spoken in their area. Sanskrit may also be studied as a Modern Indian Language (MIL) in addition to these languages.”
Next the subterfuge
- It took three generations of Nehru-Gandhi’s before “a modern Indian Language” got transmogrified into “a modern European Language” for State Mandated Language Curriculum
– How do you explain the very same Congress Party of Indira Gandhi era that wanted Indian Languages to be taught as 3rd Languages and made it the Law, surreptitiously introduced Foreign Languages through the backdoor during the Sonia Gandhi era in 2011 ?
MOU was signed between Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhawan on 23.9.2011.
Before signing the MOU, it was not referred to MHRD, Government of India at any stage for approval.
– It is strange that the KV Sangathan would have made such a decision without the knowledge of then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal ?
– The MOU signed during the Congress rule has several problem areas when held up against the Three Language Formula also designed by the Congress.
The KVS has taken a decision to offer German as a third language in its schools.
To introduce German in these schools as one of the third languages from classes VI to VIII
To identify teachers from within the KVS teaching staff e.g. Sanskrit teachers and primary teachers, who would be trained as German teachers.
– The MOU was thus violative of some provisions of National Policy on Education (NPE)/National Curriculum Framework (NCF) / the Three Language Formula.
– Rather than learn Sanskrit or an Indian Regional Language, Schools were made to switch to German.
– What is worse Sanskrit Teachers and other primary teachers were made to learn German !
Accountability to the Courts
- A Writ Petition was filed in the High Court of Delhi by the Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh asking for :
“To issue a writ of mandamus and/or any other writ in nature of certiorari quashing notification No. 110332/7/2010/KVS(HQ)/Acad. Dated 5/1/2011 issued by Smt. Piya Thakur, Assistant Commissioner (Acad) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sagatan to the Assistant Commissioner , Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan of all regions
In the nature of mandamus directing the respondents to take effective measures for promotion and education of Sanskrit as provided in National Curriculum Framework for school education and also satisfying various provisions of the Constitution of India.”
Why Smriti Irani had to act
When the matter came up for hearing on 15.10.2014, an affidavit was filed on behalf of the Union of India bringing out the inconsistencies that have been noticed in the MoU signed on 23.9.2011 vis-à-vis the provisions of the Three Language Formula as per the NPE and the NCF.
It was also indicated that the approval of the MHRD for renewal of the MOU was not conveyed and the matter has been remitted back to KVS for consideration by its Board of Governors to align it with the provisions of the National Policy on Education and the National Curriculum Framework
What did the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan decide
In the meeting held on 27.10.2014, the Board of Governors of KVS decided that “German can be taught to such students of class VI to VIII as an additional subject of hobby class , if they so desire, but not as a third language as it violates the Three Language Formula and there shall be no violation on National Policy of Education/National Curriculum Framework/Three language formula”
Finally the reality
- The German Ambassador Herr Steiner and the German Chancellor Frau Merkel can rest easy. German is not banned from Kendriya Vidyalayas. It merely is not an official third language.
– Students desirous of learning German can still do so provided the school is able to offer it as an extra subject outside of the three languages.
– The impact of this decision is limited to lower grade students – 6th to 8th only. There is zero impact on Higher Grade students.
– Even in the case of the students from 6th to 8th standards they will continue to carry the credit for the work already done in German for the current academic year. Also the transition to an Indian Third Language is expected to be soft in order to reduce the hardship on the students.
What the Delhi Media did not tell you
- It is bizarre that the Delhi Media went to town on this issue framing it as a “Sanskrit versus German” controversy when in fact the reality is something else.
– It is also bizarre that the German Government from the Chancellor down to the Ambassador should concern themselves with an internal issue on education in India.
– If anything the Public Debate in India has to be on the flawed “Three Language Formula” – a relic of the Indira Gandhi era and since perverted by the Sonia Gandhi regime.
– That Education in India has been subjected to this level of Government intervention is a direct fallout of six decades of Nehru-Gandhi statism. A fact that is barely highlighted by Delhi’s media.
Where do we go from here
- If the Sonia Gandhi led UPA was serious about opening up schools to teach any language then the right way to have gone about doing it was to reform the Curriculum Framework, scrapped the Three Language Formula and opened up the Schools to any number of languages recognized by the Board, of interest to Students and Parents and subject to availability of Teachers.
– The UPA did none of these but instead pushed the KVs to sign a flawed MOU with the Germans that was doomed to pass muster with the Courts.
– A comprehensive debate is long overdue on how Curriculum should be framed and the role the Government should play in the future. The right forum for doing this is the National Policy on Education.
– Thus Smriti Irani is right to uphold the current law consistent with the NPE, NCF and Three Language Formula till such a time these are revisted.
– 2015 seems to be an exciting year with Smriti Irani’s announcement on acomprehensive relook at the National Education Policy with grassroots participation down to the Village level Community.
It is said that half truths are dangerous than lies.The media have been spreading half truths only before the election and after BJP's assumption to power.And the news about Sanskrit replacing German is one among them. They have conveniently omitted to mention that German could be learnt as an additional language. Rectifying a mistake is a mistake for these media persons.
One of the commentators in Twitter wanted to know some Sanskrit books on Economics. I recommend Chanakya's Arthshastra which is said to be a treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy. If he is not well versed in Sanskrit he can read its English translations. For his information there are good works on astronomy, mathematics and many other subjects written in Sanskrit by our ancestors.
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Any defence in why it is being done mid session ? And what about students who studied German in Class VI or VI & VII and now forced to pick a new language in rest of Class VII and Class VIII?
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always congress is known for stupid decisions and create future controversy. highly rude, arrogant way of doing things as congress feels this country is their father's property or fiefdom. and I feel congress does certain actions only to spoil indian psyche totally. congress should be thrown out of india. and today useless, shameless Sonia talk about secularism. does she know true meaning of secularism as per oxford dictionary and if so why not followed as it means but as pseudo secularism of vote bank polity depriving hindus of their legitimate rights.
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Unnecessary controversy, it is COMMON knowledge that German is an Indo Aryan language DERIVED FROM SANSKRIT. Agar Sanskrit sikhoge to German sikhna aur aasan ho jayega, time to teach the LEFTARDS and SECULARTARDS some lessons, maybe they should go back to school. I m Bengali, have learnt Marathi, Gujrati, English, teach spanish, French and German because I know Sanskrit, the mother of many languages, especially the European languages.
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And why German? Why not French? Why not Spanish? Why not Japanese? Why not Russian? Indian students and businessmen go to various countries.
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I offer a simple solution. "Reciprocity". If the Germany wants German taught in India schools then by the simple principle of reciprocity German schools should teach Hindi or Sanskrit in the same number of German schools at the same level.
Personally I find it quite amusing that the PM of German is so exercised over India's educational policy - a matter that is an internal Indian affair.
Only the Congress Government can come up with something so idiotic as the MOU between Germany and the Kendriya Vidayalas.
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It is "sickularly" bizarre that a cunningly wicked woman, who could not get through the 5th standard & served as barmaid-cum-escort in her teens & prime youth in the UK, viz. rabid Catholic Italian (Vatican-machinated "Indian") wily-yet-avaricious-moron Maino (Antonia Edvige Albina) had led the educational curricula in her de facto Prime Minister-ship ominously hectoring the practice of ("Nehruvian") "sickularism" already in vogue in this "Darul HArab" (aka unconquered Kafir/heathen land) that is, indeed, the great facilitator for Mullah-Missionary demonically proselytizing "Katwa"-"Khistoo" ideologues. Even the US Prez Bush had announced that any US University/institution that introduced "Sanskrit", the only fully computer-savvy language, in its curriculum was entitled to get US govt's wholehearted patronage, which is still in vogue, for, it would facilitate the universal repository of human Artificial Intelligence (AI) benefiting the posterity.
For graceful beauteous infidel lady Smriti Z Irani, she is an extraordinaire intelligent educated Education Minister of this heathen land. [A fact that CONgis & "secularists" feel extremely uncomfortable to acknowledge.]
PS: Moreover, lady SZ Irani is married to a kosher Parsee, unlike the husband of Maimuna Begum (aka Indira G) Feroze "Khan" Gandhi, the biological s/o an Allahabadi lawyer Raj Bahadur Prasad Kakkar (who defeated JL "Nehru" to the city's mayoral election) and Parsee mother converted to Islam viz. Shirin Ghandhy, of course his de jure father being Nawab Khan. It would be "communally" arrogant to reveal any more suchlike verboten "sickular" facts about the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Do listen to hardcore "communally" erudite nationalist Panthera leo Dr Subramanian Swami on YouTube.
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Only in Nehruvian India can there be a debate over Sanskrit vs German. Nehru is dead but his legacy continues to haunt us in the figure of sonia & family pvt. ltd.
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Indian media is still controlled by the Nehru Gandhi family and vested industrial houses opposed to clean government in India. Indians have been misled by the media on this issue. Niti Central is the only source that has given an unbiased and correct view. Smirti is doing her job without fear or favour.
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Yeah, just to name one, out of a myriad, i.e. Nehru Dynasty TV (aka NDTV)
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Nice attempt to justify the decision of the HRD Minister but one would agree that the decision has been taken in haste. The decision can well be taken but then the students should be provided opportunity of completing the session with what they have been studying.
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Let us ask Chancellor Merkel one simple question. How many students in Germany are learning any Indian language as a third language? Based on this, we can decide how much to promote German in Indian curriculum.
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Do not have a closed mind. Learning languages like German, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean etc makes the millions of Indian job seekers that much more employable.
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Job seekers can be made more employable by giving them better knowledge and skill of the concerned field. Do not increase burden of learning many languages as language can be better learned by practice and anvironment of the language.
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There is no compulsion to learn foreign languages. English in addition to pupil's own language is a must. Is there any problem with that ?
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then teach them german etc. right from grade 1, they will be super employable in germany etc. self-alienated indian open your mind first.
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Are you being forced to study German ? It is your choice. English along with pupil's own language or any other Indian language is compulsory. Please check your facts before commenting.
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you're digressing re-read your comment and then mine.
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Nice Article. Ms . Irani will definitely bring justice to Education System.
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It appears from this write that Three Language Formula is also flawed. Then in that case what is new government formula? Kothari Commission has debated this issue threadbare 50 years ago and offered the solutions, but we are not able to decide anything about the language policy. Over emphasis of English has also become detrimental for Indian Languages. More over these English speaking Indian ba***rds are enjoying power disproportionate to their intellect. Promoting German in KVS was also an attempt to undermine third state language by this English lobby. If you observe the drumming of controversy around Sanskrit/German by media, all these media houses are English Language publishers or Indian masses. Nobody of them have emotional, Commercial interest in Indian Languages. Even today after 100 years of English education, we could reach only 5% of the Indian population. Knowledge should be made available in Indian languages so that it will reach masses and that is established well by Kothari Commission.
Learning any other language than the state language should be left to the individual. It can not be a government policy.
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Until now Modi was Indian version of German Hitler for self-certified liberal-frauds & Congress. Now they prefer Hitler's German over Sanskrit.
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/11/17/german-language-issue-kendriya-vidyalayas-niti-exclusive-245176.html
