Why Urdu is disappearing from classrooms — and who’s trying to save it Premium

Nagma Rehman has a lament in her retired life. Ms. Rehman, who retired a year ago as Urdu teacher at the Baxibagh, Government Higher Secondary School in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, says her school has recruited many Hindi teachers and fears it will soon become Hindi medium. “Parents just don’t want their children to learn or study in Urdu anymore,” she says, adding it is “outdated” for parents to have their children learn Urdu in schools.

Holding an M.Sc. degree in English, Ms. Rehman’s bond with Urdu was shaped at home rather than in classrooms. For over three decades, she taught Physics and Mathematics to students of Classes 9 to 12 at the government-run school established in 1981 with Urdu as its medium of instruction. “Regardless of my education, I learned to read, write, and speak Urdu as a usual practice at home. My family used to speak Urdu, read Urdu newspapers and women’s magazines, and read Urdu literature such as Ghalib.”

Ms. Rehman now feels that her children should also learn to speak the language and holds a personal opinion on how popular Bollywood songs often mispronounce Urdu words. Tracing her connection to the language, she said, “Urdu (zubaan) belongs to my family lineage. My maternal side speaks Persian (Farsi). This naturally made me curious. When I was a child (talking of 1982), Urdu was widely spoken in most households, even though I studied in Hindi and English medium.”

While speaking about the Baxibagh Urdu school, she gets upset. She wanted people to know that the politics around language, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, has indirectly led to the medium of instruction shifting from Urdu to Hindi and English. “The Urdu language was formerly called Hindustani,” she said, “and it is associated with region and culture, not with politics or religion.”

She says that while the school receives budgeted government funds for smart TVs, computer labs, and infrastructure, a core issue is overlooked – the shortage of qualified teachers who are both proficient in Urdu and trained in higher-level subjects such as Science, Mathematics, and Commerce. On the one hand, Urdu teachers often lack the subject expertise required for secondary classes and, on the other, subject experts struggle to read and write in Urdu. “We rely on Google translator to explain concepts to children in Urdu,” said Seema Pathak, an Urdu teacher at Baxibagh.

The lack of quality textbooks in Urdu further compounds the problem. While Hindi and English texts are readily available, very few are published in Urdu, making classroom teaching heavily dependent on translation. “These children come from households where internet access is limited, so we cannot ask them to translate course books at home. Whatever is available in Urdu, we translate here in school and explain with whatever Google provides,” Ms. Pathak added.

When asked if they have spoken about the issue before to the authorities, Ms. Pathak said, “many times.”

Language of the court and the market

Urdu evolved from a bazaar tongue to a refined court language, shaped by the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire, before becoming a medium of both commerce and high art. Anwar Pasha, retired professor and former Chairperson at the Centre of Indian Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, says that Urdu’s roots lie in the cosmopolitan military camps (ordu) and Delhi’s bazaars, where people of diverse backgrounds needed a shared language.

Rooted in Khariboli and enriched by Persian, Arabic and Turkic, Urdu grew flexible. Though Persian dominated the Mughal court, Hindustani from camps and bazaars won elite patronage and entered courtly use, “travelling from bazaar to the court,” as Prof. Pasha described.

Adopted by poets in the Deccan and Mughal Delhi, Urdu reached its golden age in the 18th – 19th centuries with Mirza Ghalib. In 1837, the British made it the language of courts and administration.

Urdu embodied the ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb,’ shaping literature, music, and cinema. But in the 20th century, its politicisation, contrasted with a Sanskritised Hindi, restricted its identity. “The tragedy of Urdu is that it was made to carry the burden of identity politics, when in truth it was always a language of inclusion,” Prof. Pasha observed.

Academic discourse

Findings from government notifications, reports documented by various media houses, and conversations with professors from Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University present a mixed picture of the efforts made towards Urdu in the last decade. These measures, both positive and negative, have directly influenced students’ subject and research choices, as well as teacher appointments.

On the positive side, the Maulana Azad National Urdu University has advanced the language by launching new programmes across science, literature, and teacher training, and by hosting national seminars and workshops that promoted academic and literary excellence in Urdu. Kolkata’s women’s colleges have opened their doors specifically to Urdu-medium students, ensuring access to higher education and representation for linguistic minorities.

Karnataka’s public schools began integrating English-medium sections with existing Urdu streams, an effort aimed at increasing enrolment and revitalizing underperforming Urdu schools without eliminating the language’s foundational role.

The Urdu Academy Delhi has introduced new certificate and literary courses, and is pioneering Urdu calligraphy programs to attract learners from diverse backgrounds. The academy has also announced plans for online courses to reach a wider audience, ensuring greater accessibility of Urdu instruction across Delhi.

Universities such as Jamia Millia Islamia have launched one-year Urdu language programs through their Centre for Distance and Online Education, while Delhi University has revised its Urdu curriculum to integrate works that broaden the discipline’s cultural reach and appeal.

Himachal Pradesh recently instituted Urdu as an optional subject for classes 6 to 8 in identified schools, providing early exposure and support for minority students. In Rajasthan, targeted scholarship schemes encourage Urdu study at both the school and higher education level. MANUU stands out as a central Urdu-medium university, offering pathways in media studies, IT, and science — and achieving an A+ NAAC accreditation while supporting students from marginalised backgrounds through bridge courses and fellowships.

In contrast, the Central Board of Secondary Education withdrew Urdu question papers for keyboard examinations, forcing students into Hindi and English streams, which is a move that left thousands at a disadvantage and challenged the vitality of Urdu-medium instruction. In Rajasthan, the state education department ordered government schools to discontinue Urdu as a third language and replace it with Sanskrit, sparking controversy and distress among students and teachers who were actively studying Urdu.

Delhi University was criticised for omitting Urdu from its undergraduate admission form’s list of mother tongues, while including Muslim as a language—an error that drew widespread accusations of communal insensitivity and highlighted institutional neglect towards Urdu as a recognised language. Maharashtra witnessed threats of allegations of educational scams and malpractices emerging around the administration of Urdu schools, undermining trust and further isolating these institutions from mainstream advancement – heightening anxiety among educators while dropout rates rose in some areas due to ongoing infrastructure and resource challenges.

The latest available data indicates that approximately four percent of the Indian population identified Urdu as their mother tongue in the 2011 Census, with the number of Urdu speakers reported as over 62 million nationwide. And yet apprehensions exist regarding the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which failed to explicitly mention Urdu, generating concerns about the language’s visibility and future within new educational paradigms.

At Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof. Sajid, a guest lecturer at the Department of Urdu, since 2019 and himself an M.Phil and Ph.D. graduate from the same institution, refrained from commenting on the omission of Urdu in NEP 2020. However, he speaks about employment opportunities after Urdu-medium education and the status of teacher recruitment within the university.

Persistent criticism of Urdu-medium schooling has highlighted limited employment prospects for graduates, along with a shortage of modern resources and planning in many institutions. Prof. Dr Sajid observed that government opportunities in the Urdu domain are far fewer compared to private avenues. He listed translation work, scriptwriting, content development, poetry, teaching, media roles, archival projects, and collaborations with agencies such as NCERT and NTA as areas where Urdu graduates find a foothold. “The market has jobs, there is demand as well but government opportunities are fewer and sometimes as few as one or two Urdu posts, compared to ten percent of what is available for English or Hindi,” he mentioned.

On teacher recruitment within Jamia’s Urdu department, he noted that there are currently 14 permanent faculty members, 11 guest lecturers, and one faculty member for computer applications in Urdu. Recruitment slowed during the COVID-19 lockdowns but picked up again in subsequent years.

He also underlined how fellowships changed the research landscape – “PhD did not have many students in 2010 but after the launch of the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF in 2009), along with Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs), the number of research scholars increased.” The MANF, introduced by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to support MPhil and PhD students from minority communities, was discontinued from the 2022–23 academic session.

Dr Mohamed Quamrul Hooda Faridi, Chairman and Professor at the Department of Urdu, AMU, emphasised that the institution has consistently strengthened its commitment to the language. “It was never the case in AMU that there were fewer Urdu teachers. The number has always been increasing, never decreasing, even in Ph.D. courses,” he said, pointing to a steady expansion in both faculty strength and research opportunities.

On the scope of employment after graduating from Urdu-medium institutions or pursuing higher research in Urdu, Prof. Quamrul highlighted the potential in creative and professional fields. “Print media or mass communication, in my opinion, is a good and accommodating place to be at,” he said, joining the relevance of Urdu in journalism, publishing, and communication-related careers.

For those who worry about the utility of the language in the job market, he offered a firm response – “Urdu bekar nahi hai” (Urdu is not useless). He said that pursuing Urdu in higher education does not leave students at a disadvantage compared to those who study Hindi or English. “It is not that they will suffer if they have studied Urdu. In fact, there are a vast number of opportunities,” he explained and added that fields such as translation, teaching, media, cultural institutions, and literary research as areas where demand remains.

His comments reflect a broader perspective that Urdu, far from being an obsolete or limiting subject, continues to open avenues in both traditional and modern sectors. At AMU, the sustained growth of faculty and research students stands as evidence of this resilience, reinforcing the idea that Urdu retains both academic vibrancy and practical relevance.

In contrast, at Baxibagh Ms. Nagma Rehman pointed out that the school administration has started hiring Hindi-speaking, non-Urdu teachers, with the aim of converting the institution from Urdu medium to Hindi medium. This gradual shift, she noted, has left many parents and students uncertain about the continuity of Urdu education, while also discouraging young learners from opting for Urdu as a subject of study. The replacement of Urdu-speaking teachers not only alters the medium of instruction but also reshapes the cultural environment of the school, raising concerns about the diminishing space for Urdu in formal education at the grassroots level.

The guardians of Urdu

The preservation and promotion of Urdu has often depended on the individuals and institutions who see themselves as its custodians – Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, and the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) have long played a pivotal role in nurturing the language through dedicated departments, research programmes, and cultural activities.

Prof. Quamrul also observed that beyond formal academia, individuals who are personally invested in Urdu, whether through language, literature, or independent scholarship—are playing an equally vital role as the guardians of the language. These efforts, often driven by passion rather than institutional support, have kept Urdu alive in new and creative spaces.

“Urdu’s guardians also include poets, writers, translators, and cultural organisations, social media that continue to create new material and keep the language relevant for younger audiences. Literary festivals, mushairas, and small publishing houses have stepped in to maintain the vibrancy of Urdu outside formal education.” Prof. Quamrul said.

Mujtaba Khan, originally from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh says, “I am one of the unfortunate ones who belong neither fully to Urdu nor to English.” Mujtaba Khas has studied engineering, found his interest in writing and also handles an Instagram page called ‘sabr.se’ , dedicated to spoken Urdu, which began as an attempt to share the stories and expressions he had grown up hearing from his grandparents’ era. Over time, he began to conduct Urdu speaking workshops in and around Mumbai with the intention of sharing the knowledge around Urdu language (spoken) and making the language accessible to a younger generation.

He says that people across religions and cultures continue to enjoy and value Urdu language and he is trying to become a “bridge” through his workshops and content in Urdu.

Urdu enthusiasts are a distinct voice in social media, creating content around Urdu language and literature. Jaun Elia, Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz have seen a revival through Instagram content and reached a new generation. “Urdu newspapers and magazines or general scripts are not in trend anymore. Few publication houses print in Urdu. But many pages on Instagram have re-introduced Urdu literature to people.”

Prof. Quamrul recalls a personal experience from 21 years ago that, he said, underscored the importance of personal interest in the language. He narrated how a Ph.D. scholar once approached him for help in writing a letter in Urdu to her husband who was working in Saudi Arabia. While writing the letter, he suggested replacing the word “shauhar” (husband) with the more affectionate word “sarkar.” When the letter reached her husband, he was impressed by the choice of the word. For Prof. Quamrul, this small but meaningful moment illustrated how Urdu’s richness lies not just in academia but also in the personal and emotional spaces where individuals keep the language alive.