Class 8-12 students in Delhi schools can now choose to study Maithili

The Delhi government Monday said it will introduce Maithili language as an optional subject in its schools from classes 8 to 12.

Both Maithili and Bhojpuri languages are spoken in areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. People migrated from these states are called “Purvanchalis” and they constitute about 40% of Delhi’s population.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government also urged the Centre to include Bhojpuri language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, which defines 22 modern Indian languages (MILs).

Deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia said, “The Delhi government has decided to include Maithili language in its schools from this year. It will be available as an optional subject from classes 8 to 12. There are thousands of Maithili speaking people in Delhi and the move will help them study their mother tongue as a subject.”

The government also urged the Centre to include Bhojpuri in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution so that the language can be introduced as a full-fledged subject in schools.

“Maithili is included in the 8th schedule of the Constitution, but Bhojpuri is not. Even if the Delhi government wants to introduce Bhojpuri in schools, we can’t. No student can take Bhojpuri as an optional language in any of the competitive examinations for the same reason. That’s why, I, as the Chairman of the Maithili-Bhojpuri academy of Delhi, will write to the Centre requesting it to include Bhojpuri in the 8th schedule of the Constitution,” Sisodia, who also holds the portfolio of art, culture and languages, said.

The government has also decided to provide free coaching to students who appear in competitive exams such as civil services with Maithili as an optional subject. “The government has been providing similar coaching for students opting for Sanskrit as an optional subject. We have got good results out of that experiment. We have also decided to get in touch with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing in Pune and will request them to come up with fonts in Maithili language,” Sisodia said.

Besides that, the government has also announced that it will felicitate those who have contributed richly to Maithili and Bhojpuri. “The Delhi government has decided to felicitate people from the field of Maithili and Bhojpuri, on the lines of languages such as Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. There would be awards for those who work in Maithili and Bhojpuri in the field of arts, culture, journalism and theatre,” Sisodia said.

First Published: Jul 16, 2019 07:37 IST