NEW DELHI, (November 25) — German ambassador to India Michael Steiner said on Tuesday in an exclusive interview with Sputnik News Agency that he is very optimistic that the Indian government will find a practical solution to the German language row.
"I am very confident that a practical and respectable solution on the basis of Indian law will be found," Steiner said.
The Central Schools in India had been teaching German as a third language, according to a Memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed in 2011 between then ruling Congress government and the Goethe Institute — Max Mueller Bhawan.
But recently Indian government has decided not to teach German as third language in the schools.
This decision by the Indian government to replace German as a third language in Central Schools has upset German government.
At a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would think about bringing the German language back to schools after it was taken off to include Sanskrit.
"Leaders of both of the countries had also talked to each other on German — Sanskrit issue and Indian Prime Minister assured that the matter will be solved as early as possible," German ambassador to India, Michael Steiner stated.
German ambassador in India added he is trying his best to convince the government and other stake holders.
The main objection raised by the present Indian government is that the 2011 MoU had not been approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, nodal ministry of education in India. Further the government is of the view that the MoU is illegal and violates the three language formula, according to which children are to be taught Hindi, English and one of the local languages in schools.
