Dehradun: Days after announcing that the Vedas, Ramayana, and the Bhagavad Gita will be taught in schools across Uttarakhand, state Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has said that an MBBS course in Hindi is next on the agenda.
Speaking to ThePrint, Rawat said that the government is working on a plan to impart education in Hindi in the state’s medical colleges. This, he claimed, was in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP), which lays emphasis on “Indian knowledge systems” and instruction in the local language or “mother tongue”.
“We are committed to starting the MBBS course in Hindi in accordance with the new National Education Policy of the Centre. This will help Hindi-medium students come to par with English-medium-educated counterparts,” the education minister said.
“Often, bright Hindi-medium MBBS students face many difficulties. They are forced to follow the English medium education system [in college] for the want of language of their choice,” he added.
The government will finalise its action plan for the Hindi-medium MBBS degree course soon, Rawat said, adding that all efforts would be made to roll out the programme for the 2023-2024 academic session.
Uttarakhand currently has three state government-run medical colleges — Doon Medical College in Dehradun, Government Medical college in Haldwani, and Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Government Institute of Medical Science and Research in Srinagar. The central government-run All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh also offers the MBBS course.
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‘Hindi MBBS books will be prepared by medical experts’
When asked about the arduous task of developing curriculum material in Hindi, Rawat said the state government was up to the task.
“This will be a challenge, but the state government will overcome it with the help of its proficient academic hands and the experts it will hire to prepare the course material in Hindi,” Rawat said.
The Hindi MBBS programme, he added, would be implemented in a planned way with the help of medical experts and the central government.
On a question about the lack of medical textbooks in Hindi, the education minister was similarly optimistic.
“Enough study materials will be made available in the market to medical students. New MBBS books will be prepared in Hindi by medical experts. In fact, new books prepared by us will also help students in other states of the Hindi belt,” Rawat said.
The Uttarakhand education minister emphasised that even students who manage to score well in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical colleges at times found themselves at a disadvantage because of needing to complete their coursework in English.
When queried about the feasibility of the Uttarakhand government’s plan to conduct the MBBS course in Hindi, Dr Aruna V. Vanikar, National Medical Commission (NMC) member and Undergraduate Medical Education Board president said that there should not be any hindrances although the final decision rested with the NMC.
“It’s a policy decision that has to be taken by NMC, subject to the guidelines issued by the Union health ministry. However, I personally feel preparing study materials and other legalities will not be an issue. The Indian medical system has made immense progress and books and other study materials could be readied easily in Hindi as an when needed,” she said.
A promise for schools: Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana
Following in the footsteps of several other BJP-ruled states — Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh — the Uttarakhand government is keen to introduce the Hindu scriptures in school syllabi.
Earlier this month, Rawat said the NEP recommended the incorporation of Indian traditions and history in curricula.
When asked about this, he told ThePrint: “We are committed to implementing the NEP in Uttarakhand and including the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita in school education. Educating children about Indian traditional knowledge in their mother tongue is one of the most important tenets of the NEP.”
Rawat added that the wheels have started turning on this project. “It’s being done with the help of the state’s academic experts and the people of Uttarakhand. Once the syllabus is finalised and documented, it will be brought into effect,” he said.
“We are moving ahead with our plan to become the first state to implement NEP from this academic session (2022-2023),” he added.
On whether, the syllabus would apply only to government schools or private institutions as well, Rawat said this aspect was still under consideration: “It’s not finalised yet but, if needed, a mechanism will be hammered out to implement the traditional Indian knowledge system in private schools as well.”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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