The Board of Governors (BoG) of the KVS headed by HRD Minister Smriti Irani decided that teaching of German language as an option to Sanskrit will be discontinued herewith.

Sanskrit will be the compulsory third language from Class VI to Class VIII in Kendriya Vidyalayas but the syllabus and marks awarded in the current session will be that of an entry-level course to avoid “undue stress” on students, according to an affidavit submitted Thursday by the Centre to the Supreme Court.

The assurance was provided by the Commissioner of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in the affidavit that was submitted by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi in response to a PIL filed by a group of parents against the mid-session switch.

“To ensure that no undue stress or pressure is inflicted on students, it has been ensured that introduction of Sanskrit as the compulsory third language for all the three classes is only the language taught at entry/beginner’s level and marks will also be awarded accordingly. Therefore, no undue stress or pressure will be on the students,” the KV Commissioner stated.

The affidavit clarified that students in all the three classes will be taught entry-level Sanskrit in the current session.

It stated that German could still be opted for by students as an additional language but would not be considered the third language.

“Discontinuance of German as a third language does not in any way hamper the endeavours of the students… since German continues to remain available…,” it added.

Denying charges that the alleged haste in switching courses mid-session would cause hardship to students, the affidavit added that there would only be internal assessment in Sanskrit for students from Class VI-VIII.

Underlining that the decision had been taken keeping in mind the interests of the students, the affidavit pointed out that out of 74,000 students studying German, about 24,000 were already studying it as an additional subject or hobby and would not be affected.

Asserting that the decision to replace German with Sanskrit was in sync with the Constitution and the National Policy of Education (NPE), the affidavit reiterated the government’s position that the foreign language was being taught for the last five years without the requisite approval of the HRD Ministry.

The affidavit maintained that the MoU signed with Max Mueller Bhavan in 2009 to offer German as a third language from Class VI to VIII, was not referred to the HRD Ministry for approval. “It was further observed that certain provisions in that MoU were violative of the NPE/NCF (National Curriculum Framework)/the Three Language Formula,” stated the affidavit.

The affidavit will be examined by the court Friday.

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