Some members of the National Council today expressed dissatisfaction with the Home Minister’s response to the government’s plans on promoting the national language. According to the members, the Minister shared his personal opinion rather than answering the question in his capacity as the Home Minister.
Stressing the importance of the national language during the question hour session, the Member of Parliament from Trongsa said Dzongkha is losing its value and importance as English is becoming more dominant.
“What are the plans of the government to conserve and promote Dzongkha. Is there any plan from the government’s side to establish an Act on the national language? Why is it not possible for the education ministry to teach some subjects like History in Dzongkha in schools and universities?” questioned Trongsa MP, Tashi Samdrup.
Home Minister Ugyen Dorji said Dzongkha has improved compared to past years. But it is difficult to find Dzongkha equivalent words and terms related to technology.
“It is said that Dzongkha has lesser scope when it comes to opportunities. Dzongkha serves as an important component of the country’s identity and sovereignty of the country. But how can a person with a Dzongkha background work in the field of technology? How can developmental works be carried out, especially in the field of science and technology with no Dzongkha equivalent words or terms related to technology?” said the Home Minister.
Meanwhile, the Minister added that the education ministry is carrying out research to see the possibility of teaching a few subjects in Dzongkha. However, some of the members were not satisfied with the answer.
“All we asked for was to teach our country’s history in Dzongkha. But then it’s always said that the education ministry is doing research, but there’s no certain date as to when the research will be completed. It is not that it cannot be done at all. The ministry may not have been prepared earlier, but there has been enough time to prepare. It started in 2006 and now it is 2022. So, when they say they are still doing research, it seems that there is no interest at all,” said Bumthang MP, Nima.
“The minister said that the degradation of the national language will not affect the sovereignty of the country. Next time, other relevant officials might also say the same and that’s where our sovereignty is put at risk. We expected the minister to speak on the plans and programs to promote Dzongkha but the minister spoke only his opinions,” said Haa MP, Ugyen Namgay.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairperson said an in-house discussion will be conducted to decide if the question needs to be redirected to the Minister.
Kinley Dem
Edited by Sonam Pem
