URDU

Parliamentary Standing Committee's Report

On Maulana Azad National Urdu University Bill, 1995

The National Policy on education (NPE) emphasizes that the minority groups, which are educationally backward, need greater attention in regard to educational facilities, in the interest of equality and social justice. The NPE also reiterates the recommendation of the Kothari Commission that University education should be imparted in the regional languages.... The Task Force on Minority Education, headed by Shri Aziz Qureshi, recommended the setting up of an Urdu University. To give effect to this recommendation, the Government constituted an Expert Committee which was, again, headed by Shri Aziz Qureshi to examine and recommend the form and content of such a University. The Committee submitted its report to the Government in June, 1993. The Bill has been drafted in the wake of the Qureshi Committee's report.

Urdu is one of the richest and most powerful languages, born in India as a result of the constant interaction between the Persian language and a variety of Indian languages. It has, in fact, remained one of the commonly spoken languages in India for centuries together, the lingua franca of not only the North Indian and Dakkhani Muslims but of many from other communities too. Indeed, Urdu was being used as a medium of instruction for engineering and medical courses even in the nineteenth century (sic). But, regrettably, with the passage of time, Urdu has got relegated to the background in India's educational and cultural scene, in spite of the fact that Urdu is the mother tongue of a large number of Indians.

The root cause for this appears to be the special position Urdu occupies in the linguistic map of India. For although Urdu-speaking people are distributed all over the country, Urdu is not the primary language in any State of the Union. In such a situation, the responsibility for the promotion and development of the Urdu language falls on the Central Government. Hence, the need for an Urdu University at the national level.

The Committee has been informed that the proposed University would concentrate on higher education through the medium of Urdu. It would also impart education and training in vocational and technical subjects to develop skills, particularly of women, who are not able to prosecute their studies in the conventional institutions adequately due to social reasons. That is why the mode of distance education had been suggested by the Qureshi Committee. It has been decided that the Urdu University will use the material and facilities of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), as far as possible, and will avoid creating parallel arrangements for the production of material and audio-visual programmes. These decisions have been welcomed by the Committee.

The Department of Education has stated that the Expert Committee had envisaged a very large brief for the University, including powers of affiliation. The Department thought that one institution would not be able to solve all the problems, rather, it should concern itself with matters or subjects it can handle efficiently. Otherwise, it might prove to be counter-productive. In this perspective, it was felt by the Department that in the main campus the Urdu University should concentrate on vocational/language education. In other disciplines, it should reach out to the rest of the country and if necessary, abroad, through distance education. The proposed University would be a single campus. University with no provision for affiliation. It would offer an opportunity to Urdu-knowing people to prosecute higher education in that language and use Urdu as a vehicle of science and technology, commerce and social sciences. These clarifications were welcomed by the Committee.

Currently, Urdu is being taught in 43 Universities, but in no University is it a medium of instruction, except in courses in Unani medicine and certain classical languages. Besides imparting education and training in vocational and technical subjects through the Urdu medium, the University would also provide wider access to people willing to pursue higher education and training in the Urdu medium. The proposed University would, therefore, teach other general subjects also and make appropriate arrangements to adopt enough study material in Urdu language for technical subjects. During the course of evidence, members of the Expert Committee, which recommended setting up of the Urdu University, protested that some of their main recommendations did not find place in the Bill. As any amendments at this stage would take a long time, they suggested that the Bill might be passed so that the process of setting up the University was not further delayed. The Committee trusts that the Governing Body of the University would bear in mind all relevant suggestions of the Expert Committee while finalizing the courses in the new University.

It was generally agreed that this long-delayed measure would prove fully effective only if it was conceived as a part of a larger endeavor to restore Urdu to its due place in society by expansion of Urdu education. at the school level, especially for elementary education, and the provision of adequate employment opportunities. for graduates passing out in the Urdu medium.

Some members felt that if the said objectives could be achieved by strengthening and developing the Urdu departments in the existing Universities or by creating a separate wing for teaching in Urdu medium in the Indira Gandhi National Open University or by setting up an institute/centre without giving it the form of a University,  that instead of spending a huge amount on establishing a separate University the same could be distributed to various Universities and institutions so as to enable them to achieve the objectives. Other Members, were of the view that the establishment of such a university would be an important step towards evolving an integrated strategy for the restoration of Urdu to its deserved place in contemporary India.

It was clarified by the Ministry of HRD that the Departments of Urdu in the existing Universities were mainly concentrating on literature and the emphasis, by and large, was confined mainly to writing/teaching literary criticism, fiction, poetry, etc. Besides, almost all the existing Universities and Colleges provide teaching in media other than Urdu. There is a sizeable section of Urdu-speaking people whose needs require to be met through a University like the proposed one. With the distance education mode, the reach-out of the University would be at the all-India level, which would give opportunity to Urdu speaking people, particularly women, to pursue higher/vocational education and training through the medium of Urdu.

Representative of the Department of Education submitted that IGNOU had not been able to fulfil, so far, its mandate in English and Hindi. It has to fulfil mandate first before it can take up another language.

Some Members expressed their apprehension about the job prospects of students, trained particularly in technical and vocational subjects through the medium of Urdu. Other Members stressed the importance of integrating University level education with job opportunities in different sectors and that incentives should be provided for availing of the new educational opportunities offered by the Urdu University. It was contended by the Department that students coming out of this University would have no problem in the job market as a majority of them were expected to be absorbed in self-employment.

As regards watering down the recommendations of the Qureshi Committee in the Bill, the representative, Department of Education, accepted that the Bill was "not the exact reproduction of all the recommendations made by that Committee". The Bill, in fact, was drafted after taking those recommendations into serious consideration,

He stated:

"This is a small but an important gesture towards the legitimate demand of a sizeable number of people. This may not meet all their hopes and aspirations, but it, no doubt, is a significant step towards that end."

In view of the nature of the distribution of the Urdu- speaking people and the Central Government's commitment to help educationally backward minority groups and also keeping in mind the longstanding demand for teaching technical subjects through Urdu medium in an open University system, the Committee recommends that the Bill be adopted subject to the observations made by it in the preceding paragraphs. The Committee also hopes that the new University would be brought into existence by the time the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence.

All India Urdu Editors Conference, 10 & 11 January, 1996

Summary of Resolutions

That the Paper Mills may be required to reserve a fixed ratio of total product as levy for the small Urdu papers utilizing up to 200 tons of paper per year to be provided on concessional rates through Public Distribution System.

That the previous practice of STC supplying News Print with service charge of 2% may be continued for small Urdu papers.

That the time of Urdu news on DD may be raised to 20 minutes.

That the headlines of Urdu papers and their opinions may also be telecast.

That Urdu journalists may be invited to participate in discussions.

That... for provision of computers and other modern equipment to Urdu Press, the National Minorities Finance and Development Corporation may create a Special Fund.

That the National Council for Promotion of Urdu, established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development may have a department exclusively for the development and improvement of Urdu press and reserve a special fund for this purpose and run Urdu Computer.

Training Centres in the existing Calligraphy Centres.

That the Mass Media Terminologies Project may be completed and published without any loss of time and the same may be provided to the Urdu Press and electronic media. That the UNI should replace its old teleprinters with new equipment.

That the DAVP may adopt the Advertisement policy of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism for the award of advertisements to Urdu Press to the extent of 10% of the total advertisement budget.

That payment for advertisement should be made within 60 days of the submission of bill and all outstanding bills should be cleared... by March 31, 1996.

That the advertisements must be issued to Urdu Press in Urdu language only with the space limit should be calculated at 1-1/2 times of that fixed for the English

Press

The DAVP may be directed to accept the delayed publication of advertisement as before.

That the negative or positive film may be supplied to dailies or periodicals which have offset facilities as per their demand.

That the practice of some Ministries/Departments giving advertisement through private agencies rather than DAVP should be discontinued with immediate effect.

That the National Urdu Promotion Council may provide fifty per cent subsidy to all Urdu papers to avail of the Urdu service of the UNI and that the facility may be extended to the entire country without any delay.

That the UNI should make this service more effective and all-comprehensive to cater to all the needs of Urdu Press.