Communicate with minister only in Hindi, Education Dept tells principals

In a move aimed at promoting the state’s official language, the Higher Education Department has directed all college principals to send communications to Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda only in Hindi.

A circular issued by the department’s Director General on June 10 warned of strict action if this directive is not followed “in letter and spirit.” The circular pointed out that, despite Hindi being the predominant language in the state, most official letters sent to the minister were in English.

“It is important to prioritise the official language of the state over other languages in all government communication,” the directive stated.

The order appears to stem from Minister Mahipal Dhanda’s recent emphasis on promoting Hindi, particularly within the Education Department. At a public function in Faridabad last week, Dhanda had argued in favour of Hindi terminology even at the university level, saying, “Vice-Chancellor should be called ‘kulguru’, not ‘kulpati’.”

Reiterating his stand while speaking at an event in Kurukshetra, Dhanda said, “About 90 per cent of people don’t understand the English language. Hence, directions have been issued to the Education Department to use Hindi in communication so that people can easily understand the documents.”

The circular has drawn comparisons with a similar practice in neighbouring Punjab, where the Higher Education Department uses Punjabi for nearly all official communication.

While the directive has sparked a quiet buzz among faculty and college administrators across Haryana, many are now scrambling to ensure their official correspondence aligns with the new language mandate.