Sanskrit vs German: No Moksha for Max Mueller

Smriti Irani, the Human Resource Development (HRD) minister, has been in the midst of a storm over her decision to summarily replace German with Sanskrit in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs). She defended this action in the Lok Sabha by passing the buck to her UPA predecessor, Pallam Raju, saying that he had ordered that Sanskrit be made compulsory in KVs. Raju has clarified that in response to a resolution at a Sanskrit conference, the HRD Ministry had held a meeting to explore the option but no further action had been taken. He added that the number of Sanskrit teachers was not sufficient to enable any government to make it compulsory.

The Minister's statement is a clear attempt to evade responsibility for insensitively disrupting the studies of 70,000 students across 500 KVs who were forced to switch languages in the middle of the academic year. Hundreds of language teachers have also lost their jobs. The Minister rejected the practical option of allowing those already enrolled to finish, with the policy change applicable to future batches. Only after many weeks has the Ministry told the Supreme Court that it is agreeable to this solution.

The alacrity with which the Minister announced that Sanskrit would replace German raises disturbing questions. Is this another effort to please ideologues who want to tamper with our education system? German was axed at the prodding of the Sanskrit Shikshan Sangathan (SSS) which believes that the introduction of foreign languages is a western conspiracy. It is important to strengthen Sanskrit studies. The UPA had constituted the Second Sanskrit Commission for that purpose. This government could do more on that effort forward. Instead it has chosen to impose the language on unwilling students.

The Minister first clarified that Sanskrit would be optional but the government thereafter told the Supreme Court that Sanskrit will be the compulsory third language from Class 6 to 8. Given the challenges of learning a new language starting in Class 9, students de facto are stuck with Sanskrit.

The Minister also argues that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2011 by then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal with Germany’s cultural arm, the Goethe Institut, violates the three-language formula enunciated in the National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005.

This is selective interpretation. The three-language policy’s aim is national integration. The NPE specifies that in Hindi-speaking states, along with English and Hindi, a modern Indian language should be taught, preferably one from South India. In non-Hindi-speaking states, the formula calls for local language, Hindi and English. Many states have not implemented the three-language formula in letter or spirit.  If the three-language formula and national integration are truly its priorities the Ministry should be focusing on strengthening the teaching of regional languages, not Sanskrit.

Students often choose Sanskrit because they can score high marks easily and avoid the rigours of learning another practically useful and culturally sensitising Indian language. The NCF adjusted to this reality and provided the escape clause that for third language purposes Sanskrit can be considered as a modern Indian language. It is not. It is a classical language with limited practical utility in today's India.

Students want language proficiency to gain a competitive edge. Hence introducing international languages is a forward-looking step. If our policies do not allow global languages to be taught, it is these policies that need to be updated. Not just German, but Chinese and Spanish would add value and enable students to engage with important civilisations and markets. Privileged students in private schools have the opportunity to study foreign languages and gain international exposure. But backward-looking bans like this prevent students in government schools from availing of such career-enhancing options.

The government's focus should instead be on making language learning exciting. If we make innovative use of multimedia technologies and the Internet to enable students to pick up languages quickly, then we can accommodate Sanskrit, regional, and foreign languages in the curriculum. How to make language learning effortless and enjoyable is something that we can learn from the Goethe Institut and the Alliance Française​. Study their techniques and help our students become multilingual citizens, grounded in India but capable of engaging with the world.

Education in India faces a multitude of challenges like poor learning outcomes, inadequate teacher training, high dropout rates, problems facing girl children, the implementation of the Right to Education Act, etc. Instead of focusing on such priorities, this government’s aim seems to be to Bharat-ize our education system. Each time the government yields, the ideologues get emboldened. Even as the German Ambassador reached out to them, SSS wrote to Chancellor Angela Merkel asking her how she would feel if schools in Germany stopped teaching German, as if that was a valid comparison. Now SSS and Sanskrit Bharati are demanding that all foreign languages be dropped from CBSE schools and that Sanskrit be made compulsory till Class 12.

The Minister must stand up for what will strengthen our children's education and future prospects. In the name of reviving culture, let our children's and India’s competitiveness not be compromised. There is enough consensus worldwide on what broadly constitutes an appropriate school curriculum and there is no need to bring politics into it. It is time for the HRD Ministry to abide by the oath that medical students take: “First, do no harm.”

Prof. Rajeev Gowda is a Congress member of the Rajya Sabha.