By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: Enacting his assurance at Indian Union Muslim League conference here last week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on December 15 issued an order restoring the status of minority languages including Urdu and Arabic at schools covered under the Uniform System of School Education (Samacheer Kalvi).
According to the order, four classes a week will be set apart for teaching minority languages such as Urdu, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Arabic. Being part of syllabus, examinations will be held for these minority languages, mark sheets will also indicate marks scored by students in these subjects. The government also said that text books in these languages are under preparation.
The order follows Mr. Karunanidhi’s assurance at a public meeting organised by the Indian Union of Muslim League on 11 December in Chennai. Through the resolutions passed at the conference, IUML had demanded the CM to intervene for safety of the minority languages in the state.
There are around 10 lakh Urdu speaking people in the state, with 350 schools offering Urdu as medium of instruction. There are other linguistic minorities including those who speak Telugu, Malayalam or Kannada. It is hoped that as many as 27 oriental Arabic schools will also get benefit of the order. The CM’s order enhances the study of BUMS, the Unani medical course wherein Urdu is the medium of instruction.
Various Urdu and different associations, including OMIET were constantly knocking the doors of the Tamil Nadu Government in order to revoke the policy of Samacheer Kalvi. On behalf of these groups, IUML leaders including Prof Khader Mohideen, the State President of IUML and M. Abdul Rahman, Lok Sabha Member of the party from Vellore, had given several presentations before the concerned authorities.
[TCN Photo]