The National Commission for Minorities has asked for an explanation from Delhi government for the shortage of Urdu and Punjabi teachers in its schools situated in minority areas. It is to be noted that in 2003, the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government had granted an official status to these two languages in the capital. As per the figures of the latest census-2001, Muslims constitute 11.7 per cent of the population with a literacy rate of 66.6 per cent, whereas Sikhs constitute four per cent of the population with a literacy rate of 92.1 per cent in the capital. The National Commission for Minorities summoned the Education Secretary over the complaints regarding non-implementation of their second-language status and enquired about the status of Punjabi and Urdu textbooks published and supplied by the state government-run schools over the past one year. The NCM has directed the Delhi Education Secretary to report to the Commission again on August 23 with all necessary information regarding the matter.
