Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Enact A Law Providing For Usage Of Regional Language Especially The Mother ... on 29 August, 2011
> Title: Need to enact a law providing for usage of regional language especially the mother tongue in all schools of the country.
SHRI A. SAMPATH (ATTINGAL): Madam, I would like to invite your attention to the sad plight of our children who are studying in the CBSE and the ICSE schools. Is it a crime to use mother tongue? In many schools, if the children communicate with one another in their mother tongue, they are being fined. Even in England, they do not fine the children who use their mother tongue for communication. But in this nation, many of the CBSE and the ICSE schools punish their children just because they communicate with one another in their mother tongue.
In my language ‘achan’ means father; in my language ‘amma’ means mother. Two children, while speaking with each other, if they say ‘ende amma’ for ‘my mother’ and ‘ende achan’ for ‘my father’, they are being fined. Three or four days back, there were reports in the newspapers that some children were fined to the tune of Rs. 1,000; and some girl children were pushed out of the school gates. They had to wait outside till evening because only by 5 o’clock their van would come to fetch them. This is happening in many of our schools.
It is the primary right of the children to communicate with one another with the help of their mother tongue. So, we have to respect the mother tongue. Our Constitution specifically enumerates certain vernacular languages along with our official languages.
I hope the whole House, the august House, will definitely express its solidarity with me. It is because all our children should have the right to communicate in their mother tongue. It is not the duty of the teachers and the management to punish them. They have no right to punish our children. My humble request through you Madam, to the Government is that if any complaint from any school comes before the Government of India regarding the punishment of the children just because they have used their mother tongue for communication, severe action should be taken against the managements of those schools and even the recognition of the CBSE and ICSE should be withdrawn. … (Interruptions)
That is all, thank you.
SHRI T.R. BAALU (SRIPERUMBUDUR): Madam, it is a very serious issue. The Government should make a statement on this issue. … (Interruptions)
SHRI BASU DEB ACHARIA (BANKURA): Madam, the Government should make a statement on this issue. … (Interruptions)
MADAM SPEAKER: Please send your names to be associated with this matter.
… (Interruptions)
MADAM SPEAKER:
Shri P.K. Biju, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Shri M.B. Rajesh, Shri Shivkumar Udasi, Shri Manicka Tagore, Shri P. Vishwanathan, Shri S.S. Ramasubbu and Shri Surendra Singh Nagar are allowed to associate with this matter. श्री दारा सिंह चौहान (घोसी): मैडम, इस पर नियम 193 के तहत चर्चा कराइये। अध्यक्ष महोदया : आप नोटिस दे दीजिए।