ABVP, Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti criticise UPSC notification making English compulsory
UNION Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination notification for 2013 making English compulsory in the mains examination received heavy criticism from academicians and student organisations. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the largest student organisation, and Shiksha Bahao Andolan Samiti, the outfit fighting for Indianisaion of education and also ensuring that no anti-India text be taught in any of the school or college, termed the notification as pushing the nation into British slavery.
In a statement, issued on March 8, ABVP national general secretary Shri Umesh Datt termed the UPSC decision as a severe onslaught on Indian languages and condemned it in strongest words. He said earlier getting minimum marks in any of the Indian language was required and the numbers were not added into the merit. But the latest decision of the UPSC says that those students who opt for English medium will get additional benefit. Therefore the students opting for any Indian language will lag behind in the final result.
Shri Datta termed the decision of the UPSC as the step which would fulfill the dreams of Lord Maucaulay only. He alleged that the UPA government was conspiring to make English compulsory and the new decision will only push the nation into slavery, as the students from rural or urban areas who have chosen Indian languages will face enormous difficulties. “The ABVP expresses deep concern on this decision,” he said in the statement.
The ABVP said the new decision of the UPSC will adversely hit the rural students opting for Indian languages. He said the global powers like China and Japan encourage their students to study in their own languages, but we in India are trying to kill our own languages. The argument that promoting English in the examination will help only the standard students getting selected for the civil services, is ridiculous. Shri Datta warned the government to reconsider over the decision, otherwise the ABVP would start nationwide agitation.
Shri Dinanath Batra of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti warned that the decision of the UPSC would prove fatal to the entire nation. He said all the students should get equal opportunities, and therefore the UPSC should withdraw the notification forthwith. “The Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas condemns the notification in strongest words and warns the UPSC to withdraw it forthwith failing which a strong agitation will be launched all over the country. Such an agitation has already started from Maharashtra. It will be intensified at the national level,” said Shri Dinanath Batra, while talking to Organiser.
Citing the Home Ministry proposal of January 18, 1967, Shri Batra said the government resolved to promote Hindi and the Parliament also passed resolution on January 18, 1968 granting top priority to Hindi among all Indian languages, but the present Congress-led UPA government is acting contrary to all those resolutions and proposals. Shri Batra further said the present notification of the UPSC is against the Constitution and also the direction of the President of India dated November 24, 1998. He said the sudden and arbitrary change in the examination pattern symbolises only autocracy and British mentality. He said the earlier order of the UPSC in 2011 making compulsory to answer several questions of Hindi into English had also adversely harmed the final result of the UPSC.
Meanwhile, the workers of ABVP organised a strong protest outside UPSC office in Delhi on March 11 against the unfair decision of the UPSC. The students said the notification put the future of the students at stake
