By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: The Madras High Court yesterday concluded hearing on the petitions filed against “Samacheer Kalvi” (Equitable Standard of Education) policy of the state government but reserved the judgment. The much debated Samacheer Kalvi System of education has already been introduced in Tamil Nadu in phased manner commencing this academic year from June for the Class 1 and Class 6 where in Tamil and English only will be treated as examination languages.
Eleven associations of private management schools and 3 individuals, not favouring the system of education, challenged the education policy in the Madras High Court. Justice Palva Santhakumar heard the matter initially. Since the case carried legal implication and public interests, he referred it to a Division Bench. The bench comprising Justice Prabha Sridevan and Justice Janardha Raja took up the matter. On behalf of the petitioners senior advocates who appeared were R. Krishna Murthy, N.R. Chandran, Muthu Kumarasamy, K. Durai Samay, Venketachala Murthy and Silambannan. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Government Additional Advocate General Wilson and Special Advocate Pleader Sankaran were present. The argument on both sides ended yesterday. The Divisional Bench reserved its judgement on the case.
It is feared that no languages other than Tamil and English will be treated for public examinations from the year 2016. The Arabic and Sanskrit Oriental schools, languages such as Urdu, Arbic, Persian, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada will be only an extinct after 2015 says P.K.Shabbir of OMEIAT (Organization of Muslim Educational Institutes and Associations of Tamil Nadu).
When TCN contacted Kunjan Rasheed Ahmed, President of India’s Best Teachers’Awardee (from President Shankar Dayal Sharma -1995) and the spokesperson of Ambur Muslim Educational Association, he pleaded ignorance of the fact whether Ambur Educational Association (A major Muslim Orgnisation in Vellore Dist TN) filed a petition against the new system of education or not. All that he informed was, “We will approach the Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and solve the problem”. Mr. G.M. Sharif a social activist said,” A group of associations like Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada is seeking legal remedy” and he was optimistic that a favourable solutions would be obtained.