Assam tribal forum opposes “Saffronization” of education

Guwahati: A massive controversy has erupted in Assam after the northeastern Indian state government made Sanskrit compulsory in government schools.

A coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people’s party), considered the political arm of rightwing Hindu groups, rules the state. It recently made Sanskrit compulsory in all government schools until grade eight.

Many see this a ‘politically motivated’ stunt to destroy the state’s secular fabric, reports oneindia.com.

The Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabhas (ITSS), Assam, on March 5 threatened to launch a stir if the government failed to withdraw its decision. The ITSS is a literary body comprising eight major indigenous communities of the state — Bodo, Deuri, Dimasa, Garo, Karbi, Mising, Rabha and Tiwa.

“We have been demanding the state government to follow a partial four-language policy so that the students from various indigenous communities get the opportunity to study their mother tongue. Instead of implementing the four-language policy, the state government is going to impose a dead language on the students,” said Gobind Taid, president of the forum.

Asserting the government decision as unacceptable, he said they would launch a statewide mass agitation along with their sister organizations if the government does not withdraw the decision.

Bisweswar Basumatary, vice-president of Bodo Sahitya Sabha said they suspect the state government move is to deprive the students of the indigenous communities from studying their own languages.

The forum accused the government of doing great disservice to the students and parents by imposing Sanskrit on young children. Pradip Chandra Deuri, vice-president of Deuri Sahitya Sabha, says the government move would discourage parents from sending children to government schools. “Thus, the state government is encouraging private schools,” he alleged.

Meanwhile the state government maintains that making Sanskrit compulsory in schools is a way to help revive a ‘dying language’ widely-used by scholars during the ancient times in Assam.