TSCIE likely to withdraw circular on Sanskrit

Hyderabad: Buckling under pressure Telangana State Commissioner of Intermediate Education (TSCIE) is reportedly mulling to withdraw its earlier circular relating to offer Sanskrit as a second language.

The sudden u-turn of the TSCIE within a couple of days of its circular is now raising doubts.

It may be mentioned here that TSCIE has issued a memo on July 9. Asking the District Intermediate Education Officers (DIEOs) to identify the needy places in the government junior colleges and private aided juniors colleges in the State where the students might study Sanskrit as their second language. Accordingly, it wanted to sanction junior lecturers in Sanskrit posts in such colleges in the State.

However, the Telangana State government Colleges Contract Lecturers Association (TSGCCLA), Inter Vidya Parirakshana Samiti, Telugu Bhasha Chaitanya Samiti, Telugu Bhasha, Hindi Bhasha Lecturers and Telangana Parents Association, TGO Inter Vidya Forum, Telangana Schools and Technical Colleges' Employees Association (TSTCEA) took exception to the same and, demanded a rollback of the same.

Finding in controversy and the objections raised, the TSCIE has issued a clarification on July 10 on the issue. It said, that the decision was taken following a request received from the Telangana Sanskrit Lecturers Association, and Telangana Sanskrit Research Scholars and Students Association. The organisations requested the TSCIE to introduce Sanskrit as the second language, in the government junior colleges and private aided colleges, it added.

Following this, the TSCIE said that it has sent a request to the principals of the government junior colleges, and government-aided junior colleges to identify the demand (from the students) to study Sanskrit as the second language. Depending on the demands from the students it wanted to sanction the post of lecturers of Sanskrit as the second language. However, as the individuals and organisations opposing remained unrelenting the TSCIE has reportedly assured to recall its earlier memo.

However, now the officials in the State Education Department feel that it might land in a legal tussle. Because students of Telangana studying in several schools in the private sector can opt for Sanskrit as the second language. Similarly, students from Telangana studying in various government-run Central schools also have the freedom to choose Sanskrit as their second language. That apart, the Telangana State Council of Education Research and Training (TSCERT) publishing textbooks of Sanskrit as the second language.

Against this backdrop sources in the TSCIE are worried that it might not end up a legal battle. The reason being, "Students who have studied Sanskrit till their Class X can continue the same in the central institutions and private schools located in Telangana. Denying the same opportunity as a policy measure to those intended to continue the same in the State government run and aided colleges might amount to denying opportunity and discriminatory," said a TSCIE official. Also, the Sanskrit language is one of the listed languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and a student or a parent can knock on the doors of the courts seeking his right to study.