SC notice to Centre on dropping German in KVs

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response on a petition challenging the decision to discontinue teaching of German as a third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and to replace it with Sanskrit in the mid-academic session.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response on a petition challenging the decision to discontinue teaching of German as a third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and to replace it with Sanskrit in the mid-academic session.

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A bench of justices AR Dave and Kurien Joseph issued notices to the ministry of human resources development, the secretary in-charge of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and its chairperson but refused to issue an immediate stay on the November 10 notification. The court fixed November 28 to hear the matter further.

The petition filed by a group of parents have assailed the move to drop German as the third language in the KVs midway, saying the decision has been taken without keeping “in mind the adverse affect” it would have over 70,000 students studying in 500 schools. It is an inexplicable and inequitable decision, stated the petition settled by advocate Reena Singh.

“The respondent KVS has failed to take into account the pertinent fact that such a decision cannot be taken mid-session as it would amount to throwing into complete disarray the overall academic preparation of the affected students,” the petition said. The fact that only two months remain for the winter vacations to begin in December was completely ignored. To drop the subject at a time closer to the exams scheduled for March 2015 would have “catastrophic consequences,” the petition stated.

“The respondents seem to have also lost sight of the fact that this period of two months by no stretch of imagination is enough to unlearn the German language they have been studying since 2011,” the petition said.