JNU Students run Online Campaign against UPSC excluding 'Foreign' Lang

The JNU- Jawaharlal Nehru University's Students Union has started with an Online Campaign over the UPSC- Union Public Service Commission for excluding 'Foreign' languages, mainly Arabic and Persian, from the list of optional subjects in UPSC examination.

The petition was addressed to the chairman of UPSC, D P Aggarwal. They highlighted that Arabic and Persian are being taught in several colleges and universities across the nation, and this decision of excluding these languages in UPSC examinations will make it difficult for students who have studied in Madrasas.

As a result of the existing UPSC regulation, hundreds of students from Madrasa backgrounds, who are pursuing their higher education in these languages, will not be able to choose the subject of their academic interest as an option in UPSC examination, says the petition.

It further states, "when our concern should be to ensure greater participation of students from Madrasas in all avenues of public life, such discriminatory clauses would end up closing several doors and options to such students."

The petitioners observe this as 'a matter of further concern'. They feel that even Arabic and Persian, which have been taught in this nation for centuries together, have been termed as 'Foreign' languages.

The main motto of this petition is to help students, who are basically from the academic background of languages like Arabic and Persian so that they are also given an opportunity to take part in UPC examinations, in their respective languages.