Bid to impose Sanskrit in schools draws flak

A HRD Ministry committee’s recommendation to introduce a three-language formula in CBSE and ICSE schools in a bid to “encourage” learning of Sanskrit has drawn strong criticism from a cross-section of politicians in Tamil Nadu.

A high-level committee of the Ministry had suggested that students up to class X could be encouraged to learn Sanskrit as an optional language under a three-language formula. Presently, Sanskrit is taught in many CBSE/ICSE schools only up to class VIII.

Criticising the recommendation DMK president M Karunanidhi had recently sought the intervention of the Prime Minister on the issue. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss accused the NDA Government of trying to impose the language in schools and TMC leader G K Vasan too issued a statement on Monday demanding that the recommendation must be shelved.

Language in TN schools

In Tamil Nadu, schools affiliated to various boards already have Tamil as a compulsory subject under the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act of 2006 and the CBSE schools were also brought under this purview in 2014.

The CBSE schools have the concept of a third language from classes V to VIII, where students can learn the basics of any of the language the school offers.

Many schools offer Sanskrit as one of the options for second or third language for the students, among Hindi, Tamil and French.