“We must build a real relationship between students and Urdu. When teachers and school managements value it, children will value it”: COMI president M.S. Farooq
HYDERABAD: Urdu should be made a compulsory subject in English medium schools if the language is to survive beyond symbolic use, said participants at a one-day state Urdu conference in Hyderabad. The meet, organised by the Confederation of Minority Institutions (COMI) at K.L.N. Prasad Auditorium in Red Hills, focused on how younger students can stay connected to Urdu while English medium education continues to expand.
COMI president M.S. Farooq said Urdu cannot be preserved by sentiment alone. He said, “We must build a real relationship between students and Urdu. When teachers and school managements value it, children will value it.” He added that Urdu carries intellectual memory, literature and history, and must be presented as a living identity rather than as a token subject.
COMI general secretary Khalilur Rahman said the organisation was founded in 2015 to strengthen academic development, teacher training and cultural preservation, and to advocate for practical policy. He said the conference was designed to shape a long-term strategy and find workable paths to bring Urdu into mainstream institutions. According to him, “If Urdu remains an afterthought; students will never discover the pride within it.”
The panel featured S.A. Huda, Dr Mubashir Ahmed, Prof. Siddiqui Mohd Mahmood, Dr Javed Kamal and Prof Khaja Nasiruddin, who discussed Urdu’s evolution in South India and its social reach. They pointed out declining Urdu medium admissions and said the revival must begin inside classrooms, not just through cultural events.
Participants welcomed the initiative for creating awareness among younger audiences. A 12-point resolution was approved for submission to the state government.
