Last updated: February 28, 2023, 3:59 PM IST
The bill was passed unanimously by the 182-member House as both opposition parties – the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party – supported its provisions (representative image)
If a school is found to be in breach of the provisions for the first time, it can pay a fine of Rs 50,000, according to the billing document. The penalty is Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for subsequent offences
The Gujarat assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would make teaching the Gujarati language compulsory in all primary schools in the state, including schools affiliated to CBSE, ICSE and IB councils.
If a school is found to be violating the provisions of the “Gujarat Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Gujarati Language Act, 2023” for more than a year, the government would “order the board or institution” to dissolve the school.
The bill, introduced by State Education Minister Kuberbhai Dindor, was passed unanimously by the 182-member House as both opposition parties – Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party – supported its provisions.
According to the bill, those schools that do not currently teach Gujarati will have to introduce Gujarati as an additional language for grades 1 to 8 from the upcoming academic year 2023-2024.
Every school follows the textbooks prescribed by the Gujarat government for teaching Gujarati as an additional language. The state government will appoint a deputy director officer of the Ministry of Education as the competent authority to implement the provisions of this bill,” said Dindor.
If a school is found to be in breach of the provisions for the first time, it can pay a fine of Rs 50,000, according to the billing document. The penalty is Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for subsequent offences.
“If a school continues to violate this law for more than one year, the state government may direct the board or institution to dissolve the school to which such school is affiliated,” the provisions of the bill said. The fine will not be imposed without giving the school concerned the opportunity to provide an explanation.
While the Congress supported the bill, members disagreed with the BJP government claiming that it had only “woke up” after a PIL was recently filed with the Supreme Court for the proper implementation of the 2018 state government’s notice that all primary schools were asked to introduce the Gujarati language as a compulsory subject in primary schools from grades 1 to 8.
Prior to this bill, the state government had issued a notice for the same purpose in 2018. Therefore, I urge the state government to ensure that this bill does not meet the fate of that notice. We hope that you will strictly comply with the law. In addition, the state government should consider increasing the amount of the fine,” Congress MLA Amit Chavda said.
He also urged the state government to introduce Gujarati as a compulsory subject in secondary and upper secondary education.
The Public Interest Litigation was filed last October by an NGO seeking leadership of the Gujarat HC from the state government ”to ensure that the 2018 government resolution is carried out to the letter and spirit to make Gujarati language one of the compulsory introduce subjects in primary schools from standard 1 to 8”.
The petitioner had alleged that primary schools, in particular those affiliated to CBSE, ICSE and IB boards, did not offer Gujarati as a subject in their curriculum, despite current government policies.
The HC said in December that schools affiliated with other boards, such as CBSE and ICSE, cannot refuse to implement a state government policy. The HC had further said it will provide necessary guidance if the government “feels helpless” to force schools.
Read all the latest education news here
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed)
