NE students in quandary as Hindi test made compulsory in some DU Colleges
Source: The Sangai Express / TNT

New Delhi, September 21 2017: Students from North East India are in a fit of dilemma as many colleges under Delhi University have been seen to put up a notification making Hindi Test compulsory.

Satyawati College is the first among such colleges to take up the step instilling a sense of insecurity upon the students from North East India .

In view of this, North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) activists along with several students from North East India studying in Satyawati College (Evening) submitted a memorandum to the Principal of the college demanding exemption from the Compulsory Hindi Test (CHT) .

It may be mentioned that a notice was put up on September 14 by the college administration informing students that every student who has not studied Hindi in class 8th , 10th and 12th are required to appear for the CHT.

The notice stated that if they did not comply then they would not be awarded their degree certificate .

Taking serious note of this, NEFIS activists submitted a memorandum and explained the intrinsic problem with forcing students from North East India to appear for a Hindi proficiency test .

It was also argued that such a measure is in contravention with Resolution 10 passed by the University's Academic Council on July 19, 2016.NEFIS activists proceeded to submit the evidence of the Academic Council resolution; following which the Principal assured them that the decision to impose the test on North East students would be withdrawn .

This is an important issue that has emerged in Delhi University and must be understood not merely in terms of the hardship it poses for students who belong to linguistic minorities, and from other communities that do not speak Hindi .

Such administrative action must also be understood and objected to in terms of the fact that it overrides the question of the University providing more infrastructure to offer languages of non-Hindi speaking regions, especially of linguistically marginal/minority communities, thereby generating enthusiasm in students to genuinely take interest in languages of different regions and communities .

Such action represents gross neglect of the special needs of the students of the North East and quite naturally elicits protest and mistrust among the affected students.

It should be known that even in 2013 Delhi University had attempted to impose Hindi/Modern Indian Languages (MIL) on DU students under its four year undergraduate program, but had to withdraw its decision due to campaign launched against it by NEFIS .

Students from many parts of North East Indian States have however been exempted from taking up CHT by the Academic Council.

But this direction has not reached most of the colleges.

Thus a sense of insecurity looms large among the North Eastern students.

Dyal Singh College and Ramjas College are among the colleges which have implemented CHT.

Some colleges have not initiated the move for not getting fresh circular.

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