Sanskrit teachers, professors, former vice-chancellors and office bearers of various organisations working in the field of education demanded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take immediate steps for employing Sanskrit teachers in the state. Participating in a seminar organised by Sanskrit Hitrakshan Samiti Bihar in Patna on December 13, they urged the government to take all possible steps to popularise Sanskrit in the state.
Sanskrit is taught in Bihar from 4th standard in all the schools but there is high shortage of Sanskrit teachers to teach the language. Just matric-pass teachers, who did not study the language up to the qualifying level, teach the language. That is why there is no proper teaching of Sanskrit in primary classes generating the impression among the students that Sanskrit is a very difficult language and they normally opt for other languages in upper classes. No new teacher has been employed for 11th and 12th standards for the language in the state. The number of students opting for Sanskrit as a subject in colleges is gradually decreasing. The administration has closed down some departments where the number of students is less than ten. Because of the faulty government system, the Sanskrit is on the verge of extinction in Bihar. Though, Urdu is not taught in all the schools, the Chief Minister has proclaimed that at least one teacher would be employed in every school for Urdu.
Senior advocate Shri Indushekhar Singh presided over the seminar, which was inaugurated by Smt Mithileshkumari Mishra. In a resolution adopted at the seminar, the Sanskrit lovers demanded immediate action for employing Sanskrit teachers in the state. The Knowledge Commission has recommended that knowledge driven society would only prosper in the future. Since, the Indian traditional knowledge is written in Sanskrit, every student, whatever faculty he may choose for higher studies, should learn Sanskrit, the resolution said.
The resolution also demanded proper training for Sanskrit teachers. Though they know the grammar of the language they cannot teach Sanskrit in Sanskrit medium. So, students do not get an opportunity to hear the language properly. The teachers should be trained to teach Sanskrit through Sanskrit medium, the resolution suggested.
A delegation of Sanskrit Hitrakshan Samiti also called on the state Education Minister Shri Harinarayan Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sushil Modi and appealed them for action on their demands. The delegation included national secretary of Samskrit Bharati Shreesh Devpujari, Kshetra Pramukh of Vidya Bharati for Sanskrit Dheerendra Jha, State Secretary of Shaikshik Mahasangh Ramnath Singh and state organising secretary of ABVP Gopal Sharma.
(FOC)
