IN this age when we are moving a step further, adapting English in our daily life and sending our children to English-medium schools to give them a quality education, our goverment suddenly realised that Urdu being our national language shall now be medium for competitive CSS examinations held by the Federal Public Service Commission.

This is so out-of-touch with reality. Most of the courses are taught and thus understood in English across most universities in Pakistan. Which private-sector university teaches International Relations in Urdu?

Now when the world is so globalised that the importance of English has increased many times the government suddenly came up with such a ‘patriotic’ decision.

I am all for being and sounding patriotic but the reality is that very little work has been done to promote Urdu to be the medium in which modern subjects are taught and understood. If they do want to take this step, why not start with the basics?

They should first translate the course materials into Urdu and then introduce them into universities and later use it for competitive examinations, or better follow the Provincial Management Service pattern.

I request the FPSC to look into this matter as the career of most candidates depends on it.

Mazia Bhurgri

Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2017