Don't be obsessed with Urdu medium, Baig tells Muslims

Muslims should not be emotional and obstinate about enrolling their children in Urdu-medium schools alone, Information Minister R Roshan Baig has suggested.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a Urdu-medium secondary school and hostel at Indi town on Monday, he said Muslims must focus on acquiring knowledge through modern system of education without being emotional about Urdu. But he hastened to add that he was not against learning Urdu but favoured the modern system of education.

According to Baig, Muslims can learn Urdu as one of the three languages. He opined that Urdu was not the language of Muslims alone but one of the most lucid and sweet languages that is learnt and used by people of other communities, too.

Describing Urdu as one of the most beautiful Indian languages, he said that the mother tongue of some of the best Urdu writers and poets was not Urdu.

Expressing concern that it would be difficult for students to study medicine and engineering through Urdu medium, he said that Urdu-medium students might face tough academic challenges.

The minister exhorted Muslim parents help their children imbibe scientific temper. He suggested that children should be encouraged to go for modern education. They should be taught such values as harmonious co-existence and secularism, he said.

Yashawantrayagouda Patil, the Indi MLA who presided over the function, said Muslims were backward according to the Rajinder Sachar committee report. He stressed the need for giving more importance to the education of Muslims.