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Assam: Sanskrit a must till Class VIII, Congress says more burden on kids
While the Congress has not dismissed the move outright, the government’s step has met with some criticism from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. (File Photo)
The Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam has made Sanskrit compulsory in all state board schools till Class VIII. Attacking the recent move, the Congress said it would “increase the burden on children”.
While the Congress has not dismissed the move outright, the government’s step has met with some criticism from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). “The government should have brought the matter to the Assembly so that the pros and cons of making Sanskrit compulsory could have been discussed,” AIUDF leader Aminul Islam said.
The Sonowal cabinet in February decided to make Sanskrit compulsory till Class VIII.
The Congress has asked if Sanskrit could be made optional. “Making Sanskrit compulsory will only increase the burden on children. We would have been happy if Sanskrit was made optional… It would have been better if history and geography were re-introduced,” Debabrata Saikia, leader of the Congress, the largest Opposition party in the Assembly said.
In Assam board schools, students have a compulsory subject called social studies that is a mix of history, geography and civics. These are not separate subjects.
Sonowal justified the move, saying Sanskrit was not only the “mother of all Indian languages”, but also empowered people. “Learning Sanskrit is in itself an act of empowerment. Moreover, learning Sanskrit means becoming more cultured, more rooted to the great civilisation India has been.”
BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Das pointed out that though some groups have criticised the move, the Congress had not rejected it. “Sanskrit used to be compulsory till a couple of decades ago. It was because of some politics that it was made optional,” he said.
In Assam, depending on the region where the student resides, one of the three languages — Assamese, Bodo or Bengali — is taught in state board schools, apart from English that is compulsory. Hindi is taught but is optional.
The Asom Jatiyabadi Yuva-Chhatra Parishad and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) sniffed the “Nagpur hand” behind the state government’s move. “Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma must be trying to warm up to his RSS bosses,” said KMSS president Akhil Gogoi.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) said the government should first clarify what is its language policy in schools. “We are not opposed to making Sanskrit compulsory. But the government should clarify whether now there will be a four-language formula in Assam, instead of the three-language formula followed in other states,” AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said.
https://scroll.in/article/830773/as...is-absurd-say-teachers-but-the-rss-is-pleased
While the Congress has not dismissed the move outright, the government’s step has met with some criticism from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).
The Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam has made Sanskrit compulsory in all state board schools till Class VIII. Attacking the recent move, the Congress said it would “increase the burden on children”.
While the Congress has not dismissed the move outright, the government’s step has met with some criticism from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). “The government should have brought the matter to the Assembly so that the pros and cons of making Sanskrit compulsory could have been discussed,” AIUDF leader Aminul Islam said.
The Sonowal cabinet in February decided to make Sanskrit compulsory till Class VIII.
The Congress has asked if Sanskrit could be made optional. “Making Sanskrit compulsory will only increase the burden on children. We would have been happy if Sanskrit was made optional… It would have been better if history and geography were re-introduced,” Debabrata Saikia, leader of the Congress, the largest Opposition party in the Assembly said.
In Assam board schools, students have a compulsory subject called social studies that is a mix of history, geography and civics. These are not separate subjects.
Sonowal justified the move, saying Sanskrit was not only the “mother of all Indian languages”, but also empowered people. “Learning Sanskrit is in itself an act of empowerment. Moreover, learning Sanskrit means becoming more cultured, more rooted to the great civilisation India has been.”
BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Das pointed out that though some groups have criticised the move, the Congress had not rejected it. “Sanskrit used to be compulsory till a couple of decades ago. It was because of some politics that it was made optional,” he said.
In Assam, depending on the region where the student resides, one of the three languages — Assamese, Bodo or Bengali — is taught in state board schools, apart from English that is compulsory. Hindi is taught but is optional.
The Asom Jatiyabadi Yuva-Chhatra Parishad and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) sniffed the “Nagpur hand” behind the state government’s move. “Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma must be trying to warm up to his RSS bosses,” said KMSS president Akhil Gogoi.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) said the government should first clarify what is its language policy in schools. “We are not opposed to making Sanskrit compulsory. But the government should clarify whether now there will be a four-language formula in Assam, instead of the three-language formula followed in other states,” AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said.
https://scroll.in/article/830773/as...is-absurd-say-teachers-but-the-rss-is-pleased
