Imphal, April 20: The North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) has strongly condemn the recent President’s approval to the recommendation of a Parliamentary Panel to make Hindi compulsory in CBSE schools, including the state-run Kendriya Vidyalayas.
In a statement, NEFIS said that following this approval, the HRD Ministry has been instructed to form a policy in consultation with the state governments to make the language compulsory.
“The decision brings out the discriminatory nature of the present BJP government which seeks to impose Hindi on people coming from non-Hindi linguistic backgrounds. The step gives undue importance to Hindi vis-à-vis other languages of non-Hindi speaking regions by selectively promoting Hindi in CBSE board schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas, which are present in all the parts of the country. The decision would further the discrimination against people from other linguistic backgrounds by allowing the present government to renege on its commitment towards preserving and promoting the culture and language of people in different regions of India. It also nullifies the spirit of diversity upheld by the government of India, wherein preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity of non-Hindi speaking regions is guaranteed”, the statement said.
NEFIS has consistently been at the forefront of struggles against such imposition of Hindi language on people from non-Hindi linguistic backgrounds and condemns the decision.