German envoy meets Sanskrit teachers to resolve language row

Germany's Ambassador to India Michael Steiner

met Sanskrit teachers, including right-wing ideologue Dinanath Batra, here in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough in the ongoing language row engulfing the country's central schools.

Germany did not seek reconsideration of the opposition to German being taught as a third language at the central schools, but sought more cooperation for promotion of the two languages that shared a lot in common.

India's Education Ministry had decided to drop the German language in favour of Sanskrit for over 70,000 students across 500 Kendriya Vidyalayas or central Schools from classes VI to VIII.

After the meeting the German ambassador said that he was very much in favour of having Sanskrit taught in schools while India was also in favour of German language to be learned by its kids. There is a mutual respect for each other's language and both have their own place.

"We were here to understand each other, I have also made clear that I am confident that the government finds a solution and that this solution must be on the basis of the law of India, on that we agreed," Steiner said.

The ambassador has also proposed in the meeting that there should be a conference of teachers from India and Germany on Indo-German language family in February.

This language row prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to raise the issue with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia.

Prime Minister Modi assured her of looking into it within the confines of the Indian education system.

National convenor of Save Education Movement Committee (Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti) Dinanath Batra, a veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was also present in the meeting.

He is widely known for his campaign to ban American author Wendi Doniger's book "The Hindus" earlier this year. Of late he has been in the eye of a storm over his recommendations for revamping the curriculum in NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) books.

A member of Save Education Movement Committee N.S. Rawat, who was also present at the meeting, said the government must take a call on the issue.

"Sanskrit and German both have good relations with each other, both have equal strength. Therefore there should be a conference of those knowing German and Sanskrit, this was all that was decided in the meeting," Rawat said.

With increasing globalisation, more and more Indian children are opting for a foreign language at school level. In the last six years, the number of Indian students going to Germany for higher studies have raised manifold.

Germany is one of the top destinations for Indian students, particularly those studying engineering, science and technology, for affordable higher education and possible employment. Proficiency in German language works as an asset for the students pursuing the course in schools.

India follows a three-language policy with 22 scheduled languages, 125 constitutionally recognised languages and 1600 dialects.

Hindi, which is written in the Devanagari script and English are designated as official languages of the Government of India, employing its usage according to Indian Constitution.