Telangana: Government forcing schools to ditch Urdu medium

HYDERABAD: Over the past few decades Urdu as a medium has survived in the State, but according to the recent reports seems Telangana’s second official language is all set to be eliminated soon since the state is left with only six residential high schools offering Urdu as a medium to its students.

The authorities have recently issued oral orders instructing the teachers not to admit any new fresh admissions for the current academic year.

Speaking of the orders, Mohammad Masooduddin Ahmed, general secretary, Telangana Urdu Teacher’s association said: “Although many students are willing to take admission in the Urdu medium, we have been strictly asked by the officials to not admit any new student in this medium. Issuing of such directions is not fair on the officials’ part.”

Adding, “The state is supposed to promote the language by establishing new schools. Instead, they are converting the existing schools into English medium. They have no right to do so and must secure a presidential order for the same.”

Currently, there are nearly 206 schools under the Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS).

And of these schools, there are only six schools which are Urdu medium high schools consisting of 40 students per class.

Two Junior colleges also fall under TMREIS which has 40 students each in MPC and BiPC streams with 30 students in CEC stream and now the uncertainty of these colleges along with the six schools could possibly turn into conversion I to English Medium.

Syed Shaukat Ali, national coordinator, Telangana State Minority Welfares Association speaking of the new orders from the TMREIS said: “When it comes to schools for day scholars (there are 76 high schools, 1,800 primary schools, four junior colleges) the situation is the same. Urdu medium students are not given enough opportunities to study their mother tongue,” objecting the state’s move of instead of filling up required teaching staff for these schools, the Government plans to shut these schools down or force them to convert into English Medium.

Instead of promoting the language and preserving the decades-old language in the state, the Government is pushing it towards extinction, since no action is been taken by the authorities to preserve the language in the state TOI reported.