Hindi Likely to be Made Mandatory till Class 10 in CBSE Schools

In a bid to nurture Hindi, as a language in the country, the committee of parliament on official languages has made 117 suggestions tot he HRD Ministry. In a recent development, President Pranab Mukherjee has given the nod to a suggestion of a parliamentary panel that the students of Kendriya Vidyalayas and CBSE affiliated schools have to study Hindi till class 10.

However, the HRD Ministry has not confirmed its approval to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) suggestion.

According to the presidential order, the Centre should draw up the policy to make Hindi a compulsory subject in consultation with states. The website of the department of official languages also has a copy of this order.

Will states accept mandatory Hindi in schools?

India is a mosaic of cultures where each state speaks a different language. Unlike the north where Hindi is the basic of different languages which resemble Hindi, South Indian languages have a Dravidian base and Southern states like Tamilnadu might not really welcome enforcement of Hindi in their region.

Earlier recommendation

Last year, the CBSE had recommended a three-language formula comprising English and any two Indian languages to be extended to classes 9 and 10. There are 22 Indian languages for students to choose from in this method.

Other Recommendations

The President rejected a recommendation which wanted a minimum knowledge of Hindi to be one of the preconditions for a government job. The others that were accepted are fixing the broadcast duration of Hindi programmes on all Doordarshan centres and All India Radio stations.Mukherjee has also accepted the recommendation that said the government, wherever possible, should give all advertisements in Hindi and regional languages.

Karnataka State Government to Prescribe CBSE and ICSE Syllabus till Class 8