Will ask PU to review plan to merge Urdu dept with foreign languages school: Amarinder

› Surprised to learn that PU has proposed to make the Urdu department part of the ‘School of Foreign Languages’. Urdu is an Indian language.. will speak to the V-C. CAPT AMARINDER SINGH, Punjab CM, in a tweet

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed surprise over Panjab University’s proposal to merge its Urdu department with the School of Foreign Languages. “Surprised to learn that @official PU has proposed to make the Urdu department part of the ‘School of Foreign Languages’. Urdu is an Indian language, like all great languages of our country. Will speak to the vicechancellor and senators to review this decision immediately,” Amarinder said in his tweet.

The funding of the university is shared between the Punjab government and the Central government

On September 27, HT had reported that a committee constituted by vice-chancellor professor Raj Kumar had proposed that Urdu be merged with French, German, Russian, Tibetan and Chinese departments to form a school of foreign languages. This is despite the fact that Urdu is one of the official languages of the country. The merger of the departments is being done to comply with National Assessment and Accreditation Council’s (NAAC’s) requirements. The NAAC strives to ensure that quality is maintained in higher education institutions across the country.

Alarmed at the proposal, faculty members of the Urdu department had taken up the matter with Dean, University Instructions, professor Shankar Jha, who is also the chairperson of the committee that gave the proposal. “Urdu was born and nurtured in India during the first two decades of the 13th century,” the faculty’s letter to Jha had said.

The committee for the reorganisation of departments is meeting on Monday to finalise its guidelines.

Welcoming the CM’s tweet, Urdu department coordinator, professor Ali Abbas said, “It is fortunate for speakers of Urdu that the CM has taken cognisance of the proposed merging of the Urdu department with foreign languages school. I hope that the university reviews this decision.”

The PU also plans to form a school of social sciences and a school of education; there is also a plan to merge all centres of the University Institute for Emerging Areas and Sciences and Technology with other departments.