Delhi University makes Hindi test mandatory for graduation

Students of Delhi University (DU) colleges will now have to pass a compulsory Hindi test to get their graduation degrees if they have not studied the language till Class 8, a circular issued on Thursday said.

The Compulsory Test Hindi (CTH) was introduced after the academic council cleared it this July and DU's Hindi department has now asked principals of all affiliated colleges to identify such students and start the course for the exam.

Hindi was not compulsory in the 'choice-based credit system' (CBCS), implemented last year.

The council made changes to the CBCS syllabus to make sure everyone graduating from DU knows basic Hindi.

The compulsory Hindi test, however, has put students from the North East in a difficult spot and dimmed their chances of getting admitted to colleges affiliated to Delhi University.

The North East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) has condemned the imposition of Hindi on DU students who come from different parts of the country as another disgraceful attempt to discriminate against them.

But, with hundreds of students coming to Delhi colleges from states where Hindi is not a compulsory subject, the compulsory Hindi test has triggered a controversy of being discriminated against.

Students from the Northeast have threatened to launch a stir if the Hindi exam is introduced.

North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) condemned the compulsory imposition of Hindi on DU students who come from different parts of the country as another disgraceful attempt to discriminate against non-Hindi speaking students.

''This is a disgraceful attempt to discriminate against students. It would cause immense hardship to students from communities that do not speak Hindi,'' said Chinglen Khumukcham of the North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS).

Also, the students noted that since the university did not succeed in making Hindi mandatory for all students, it has opted to impose it without even a notification.

Earlier, in 2013, DU had attempted to impose Hindi / Modern Indian Languages (MIL) on DU students, but had to withdraw the decision due to militant campaign launched against it by NEFIS.

NEFIS sees the compulsory imposition of Hindi as cultural chauvinism of the university administration directed against communities from the North-East most of whom are not adept in the language.