File photo of HRD Minister Smriti Irani
The HRD Ministry today said the decisions to ask those central universities to explore the possibilities of opening of Sanskrit department where it doesn't exist and to ask CBSE to make the language compulsory upto class X were taken during the previous UPA government's tenure.
Officials of the Ministry referred to the circulars issued shortly after a national conference in Lucknow in September last year where it resolved to make Sanskrit compulsory in all secondary schools.
The Circular was sent to both the CBSE chairman as well as the NCERT director.
The communication to all central universities to explore the possibilities of opening of Sanskrit department where department of Sanskrit does not exist was also issued on January 7 this year based on the resolution passed in the conference and not by the Ministry under the present dispensation, the officials said.
The late night clarification by the Ministry officials came after HRD Minister Smriti Irani earlier today said in a written reply in Lok Sabha that, "In order to promote Sanskrit language, the Central Government has requested all central universities, where department of Sanskrit does not exist, to explore the possibilities of opening of Sanskrit departments."
The reply had, however, not specified as to when the circular was sent to the central universities.
Ms Irani's recent decision to replace German with Sanskrit as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) has courted controversy, though she has insisted that German was being taught in violation of the National Policy of Education and the Three Language Formula.