Scrapping German in KVs clouds upcoming Modi-Merkel meet

NEW DELHI: Indian officials are scrambling to find a solution to a German language problem in Indian schools that is fast becoming a diplomatic problem with Germany.
Even as HRD minister, Smriti Irani announced that German would no longer be taught as a third language in Indian schools, German chancellor, Angela Merkel will make this one of the top items in her first bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Brisbane on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Sunday.
The Germans are looking for India to craft a "solution" to the issue, after the HRD ministry declared that studying German as a third language violated the Indian school curriculum rules. In the past few years, the teaching of German as a language has gained significant momentum. The German government spends close to 1 million euros on the programme, and there are about 80,000 students who study German.
Michael Steiner, German ambassador, downplayed the issue. "I am confident the Indian government will find a pragmatic solution that is a win-win solution." A solution, he said, was in the interest of India, Germany and the children who had been studying German as third language.
The Indian government is trying to look for a solution that keeps faith with both sides of the debate. Its decision has already created ripples in Germany, and is being actively debated there.
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The 2011 MoU failed to go through the necessary checks both in the HRD ministry and in the MEA. The matter was not referred to the MEA, which may have resolved the issue at that point. "The Germans did not say we should violate our own rules," said sources.
Indian school students now have varied options for the third language, from Spanish, French, German and Mandarin, which was accepted by the Indian school system. Few Indian schools actually offer a choice of Indian languages for the third language option.
This issue could have implications for India's own efforts to spread the use of Hindi in foreign countries. It could open the door to other countries taking sudden steps against the teaching of Indian languages. That remains a worry for promoters of cultural diplomacy within the Indian system.