Replacing Urdu with Sanskrit in govt schools in BJP-ruled Rajasthan sparks row

Urdu teachers in Rajasthan on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) registered a strong protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s move to replace Urdu with Sanskrit as third language in some schools. The Education Department has cited insufficient number of students as the reason to discontinue the classes offering Urdu as a subject.

Following the orders issued for two government schools in Jaipur and Bikaner, the remarks made by a Minister that several Urdu teachers had secured jobs with “fake degrees” also led to an outrage. The Rajasthan Urdu Teachers’ Association termed the Minister’s remarks “baseless and irresponsible”.

The Education Department has issued orders for closure of Urdu classes at Mahatma Gandhi Government School (RAC Battalion), Jaipur, and the Government Senior Secondary School at Napasar-Sinthal Road in Bikaner. Both the orders stated that the Urdu classes would be closed and the posts of Sanskrit teachers created in the two schools.

The orders were reportedly issued on the instructions of Education Minister Madan Dilawar. According to the department, very few students wanted to opt for Urdu as the third language, while there was a demand for study of Sanskrit, for which more teachers were required.

‘Fake degrees’

Amid growing resentment over the directives, Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham said at a public function in Deeg district on Monday that while many Urdu teachers had secured jobs with fake degrees, the previous Congress regime had removed Sanskrit teachers and posted Urdu teachers in their place.

“No one studies Urdu nowadays. We don’t know Urdu… We will abolish the posts of Urdu teachers and impart education which the people here want. We will achieve this objective very soon,” Mr. Bedham said in his address, which was videographed and circulated on social media.