“High time we shed colonial legacy”: Venkaiah Naidu lauds UGC chairman for ‘local languages’ push in university exams

New Delhi [India], April 20 (ANI): Former Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday lauded UGC Chairman Jagadeesh Kumar for his letter to universities to allow students to write examinations in local languages even if the medium of instruction is English.

Taking to Twitter, Naidu said, “The UGC Chairman, Prof. Jagadeesh Kumar deserves to be commended for his letter to Universities to allow students to write examinations in local languages even if the medium of instruction is English. Promotion of the teaching-learning process in the mother tongue is a welcome move.”
The former Vice President said that he always advocated the wider use of the mother tongue in education and that he is “pleased with this development”.

“It is high time we shed the colonial legacy which had been impeding our all-around socio-economic growth and give equal importance to local languages,” he added.

Earlier in March this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised on the importance of the mother tongue and urged people to get out of the “inferiority complex” in using it adding that the mother tongue is a means of personality development.

The Home Minister lauded the New Education Policy and said that it incorporates the thoughts of great men like BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and others.

“In the New Education Policy, it also includes the thoughts of Sayari Rao regarding accessible education, the thoughts of Sardar Patel on women empowerment, and the thoughts of BR Ambedkar regarding education for knowledge. Do anything in your life, but do not leave your mother tongue. Get out of the inferiority complex that you will not be accepted by your language. Language is an expression,” Shah said.

“If any person thinks in his own language, he thinks well. If he conducts his research, the capability of his research increases manifold. There can be no bigger medium of personality building than the mother tongue. I urge all of you to come out of the inferiority complex,” he added detailing the benefits of using mother tongue.