Gujarat HC Recommends Law for Teaching Gujarati in Primary Schools

Amdavad: The Gujarat high court has once again emphasized the need for the state government to introduce measures for penalizing schools that do not teach the Gujarati language in primary classes. The court has suggested enacting a law similar to what other states have done for compulsory teaching of local languages in schools.

The court made these comments during a hearing of a PIL filed by Matrubhasha Abhiyan, which demands strict implementation of a 2018 circular making it mandatory to teach Gujarati in all primary schools in the state.

The bench of Chief Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sandeep Bhatt has recommended the use of a regulatory mechanism for monitoring compliance and a notice system to inform schools of non-compliance. The state government has stated that it can cancel a school’s permission for not complying with the rules, but the court has suggested the need for a more comprehensive legal framework. The court has also noted that 13 of the 23 schools found not teaching Gujarati do not offer the language as a compulsory subject.

The petitioner has agreed to make a representation to Kendriya Vidyalayas, which have a provision to offer a language if 20 or more students express a desire to opt for it. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 21, which is International Mother Language Day. DeeshGujarat