Urdu centre fighting for survival
Here at Urdustan, we like to present positive news and see how we can help in the development of Urdu; but sometime it is important to know what Urdu is up against, and how systematically doors are locked for Urdu.
Propped up: A view of the library of the centre
by Ambika Sharma
Established as a nodal centre to impart Urdu training to the in-service teachers of Himachal Pradesh having Hindi background, the Urdu Teaching and Research Centre (UTRC) at Solan is fighting for its survival today. Opened on a special request of the state government in 1973, the frequently changing education policy of the state has done more harm than good to it.
This has not only reduced the total number of teachers receiving Urdu training here, but also put a question mark on its very existence. Urdu was initially taught as a compulsory language along with Hindi in the state. As a result, there was a huge rush of admission seekers for the ten-month course, but with the government making a certain change in its policy in 1982, whereby students could opt for either Urdu or Sanskrit in class VIII, the demand for acquiring training in Urdu went down sharply.
The Principal of the college, Dr Jog Raj, who has been watching its decline since 1995, said it had been done without the consent of the Urdu centre, violating its policy based on an understanding with the government. To add to its peril, the government brought another change in its policy and introduced Sanskrit as a compulsory subject for class VIII, while Urdu was reduced to the status of an optional subject for the ninth and tenth classes. This, he believes, did maximum harm to Urdu learning, as students preferred learning Sanskrit in higher classes to opting for an altogether new language, Urdu.
The centre, which was set up in 1973 with 51 teachers from Himachal Pradesh, saw its worst stage in the 1993-1994 session when only three students — two from Himachal Pradesh and one from Rajasthan—received training here. With the number of trainees from Himachal Pradesh having come down, the centre has not been able to justify its annual expenditure that runs in crores of rupees. The centre also recruits teachers from Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Haryana, Manipur, Assam, Orissa, etc. The centre now has 29 teachers on its rolls.
Expressing concern over the falling strength, the principal says: “The government has not been able to keep its promise of providing the centre with about 95 per cent of the teachers from Himachal Pradesh for training as per its policy. While this has forced the centre to approach recognised private schools to get their teachers trained, nothing much is being achieved by resorting to such measures.”
This is in spite of the fact that the centre bears the entire cost of granting salaries as per scale to those being trained. The salaries are in addition to a monthly stipend of Rs 800. The cost of boarding and lodging incurred on these teachers is also borne by the centre. While this has led to saving of funds incurred in lieu of salaries of teachers in the state, there are few takers for the centre today.
Not only have the efforts of the centre to promote learning and teaching of Urdu received a jolt, but also the teachers after receiving training here are often transferred from a high school to a middle school that doesn’t teach Urdu. This again is a violation of the established policy.
Apart from these handicaps, the major problem confronting the centre is the dilapidated building from which it is run. Besides, being declared unfit for habitation, the building has insufficient space for running such a centre. The two-odd classrooms barely manage to handle the strength. While this makes the task of a teacher more difficult, the ambience associated with teaching remains largely amiss. The phonetics laboratory, which has specialised equipment for learning the language, remains largely unutilised due to space constraints.
The centre has 20 booths for accommodating as many students. The fact that the majority of its equipment could not be installed for lack of space has led to rusting of the costly equipment in the storeroom. In the absence of enough space, nor can a monitor be installed for viewing films on Urdu studies.
Leaking roofs does more harm to the equipment and books. A few narrow rooms house the collection of over 10,000 books on various subjects, including linguistics, language teaching, literature, etc. A worn-out wiring with little space to accommodate just two chairs comprise the reading space in the libraries.
Hostels are located away from the centre, which is another cause for concern. The centre has been trying to get a better accommodation, but it has failed to effectively pursue its case before the state government, which has chosen to ignore the issue.
The Principal fears that if the present situation continues, the centre may soon be shifted to another state like Andhra Pradesh that has shown much interest in it. While this would devoid the state of a prestigious centre of learning, it would also put an end to promotion of Urdu in Himachal Pradesh. When asked if an alternative land could be allotted to the centre in case it applied to the district administration, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, said the problem could be solved if the centre as well as the administration put concerted efforts.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050111/edu.htm#1
Propped up: A view of the library of the centre
by Ambika Sharma
Established as a nodal centre to impart Urdu training to the in-service teachers of Himachal Pradesh having Hindi background, the Urdu Teaching and Research Centre (UTRC) at Solan is fighting for its survival today. Opened on a special request of the state government in 1973, the frequently changing education policy of the state has done more harm than good to it.
This has not only reduced the total number of teachers receiving Urdu training here, but also put a question mark on its very existence. Urdu was initially taught as a compulsory language along with Hindi in the state. As a result, there was a huge rush of admission seekers for the ten-month course, but with the government making a certain change in its policy in 1982, whereby students could opt for either Urdu or Sanskrit in class VIII, the demand for acquiring training in Urdu went down sharply.
The Principal of the college, Dr Jog Raj, who has been watching its decline since 1995, said it had been done without the consent of the Urdu centre, violating its policy based on an understanding with the government. To add to its peril, the government brought another change in its policy and introduced Sanskrit as a compulsory subject for class VIII, while Urdu was reduced to the status of an optional subject for the ninth and tenth classes. This, he believes, did maximum harm to Urdu learning, as students preferred learning Sanskrit in higher classes to opting for an altogether new language, Urdu.
The centre, which was set up in 1973 with 51 teachers from Himachal Pradesh, saw its worst stage in the 1993-1994 session when only three students — two from Himachal Pradesh and one from Rajasthan—received training here. With the number of trainees from Himachal Pradesh having come down, the centre has not been able to justify its annual expenditure that runs in crores of rupees. The centre also recruits teachers from Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Haryana, Manipur, Assam, Orissa, etc. The centre now has 29 teachers on its rolls.
Expressing concern over the falling strength, the principal says: “The government has not been able to keep its promise of providing the centre with about 95 per cent of the teachers from Himachal Pradesh for training as per its policy. While this has forced the centre to approach recognised private schools to get their teachers trained, nothing much is being achieved by resorting to such measures.”
This is in spite of the fact that the centre bears the entire cost of granting salaries as per scale to those being trained. The salaries are in addition to a monthly stipend of Rs 800. The cost of boarding and lodging incurred on these teachers is also borne by the centre. While this has led to saving of funds incurred in lieu of salaries of teachers in the state, there are few takers for the centre today.
Not only have the efforts of the centre to promote learning and teaching of Urdu received a jolt, but also the teachers after receiving training here are often transferred from a high school to a middle school that doesn’t teach Urdu. This again is a violation of the established policy.
Apart from these handicaps, the major problem confronting the centre is the dilapidated building from which it is run. Besides, being declared unfit for habitation, the building has insufficient space for running such a centre. The two-odd classrooms barely manage to handle the strength. While this makes the task of a teacher more difficult, the ambience associated with teaching remains largely amiss. The phonetics laboratory, which has specialised equipment for learning the language, remains largely unutilised due to space constraints.
The centre has 20 booths for accommodating as many students. The fact that the majority of its equipment could not be installed for lack of space has led to rusting of the costly equipment in the storeroom. In the absence of enough space, nor can a monitor be installed for viewing films on Urdu studies.
Leaking roofs does more harm to the equipment and books. A few narrow rooms house the collection of over 10,000 books on various subjects, including linguistics, language teaching, literature, etc. A worn-out wiring with little space to accommodate just two chairs comprise the reading space in the libraries.
Hostels are located away from the centre, which is another cause for concern. The centre has been trying to get a better accommodation, but it has failed to effectively pursue its case before the state government, which has chosen to ignore the issue.
The Principal fears that if the present situation continues, the centre may soon be shifted to another state like Andhra Pradesh that has shown much interest in it. While this would devoid the state of a prestigious centre of learning, it would also put an end to promotion of Urdu in Himachal Pradesh. When asked if an alternative land could be allotted to the centre in case it applied to the district administration, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, said the problem could be solved if the centre as well as the administration put concerted efforts.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050111/edu.htm#1
1 Comments:
hello ambika im vijay who used to be in your class of journalism and mass communication phone 00447891435195
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