Leader of the National Federation Party, Professor Biman Prasad, has called for formal Hindi and i-Taukei (Vosa Vakaviti) to be made compulsory subjects up to Year 8, while strongly criticising Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya over his stance on Fiji Hindi.
Professor Prasad said promoting Fiji Hindi over formal Hindi is “insulting” and risks degrading the linguistic and cultural heritage of Indo-Fijians.
He maintained that formal Hindi, alongside i-Taukei, should form the foundation of vernacular education in primary schools, with students given the option to choose one of the two.
He noted growing interest among i-Taukei students in learning formal Hindi, while Indo-Fijians and other ethnic groups are also keen to learn languages outside their mother tongue, including i-Taukei.
Professor Prasad further stressed that institutions run by cultural and religious organisations — including TISI Sangam, the Fiji Muslim League, and Chinese and Gujarati communities — should be supported to offer additional language teaching such as Tamil, Urdu, Mandarin, and Gujarati.
He described this approach as key to strengthening national unity in Fiji’s multi-ethnic society by fostering deeper understanding of different cultures, traditions, and languages.
Responding to comments linked to submissions before the Education Commission, Professor Prasad accused Mr Koya of attempting to dilute Indo-Fijian culture.
He argued that Hindi scriptures are written in formal Hindi, not Fiji Hindi, and said the Constitution’s reference to “conversational and contemporary Hindi” being compulsory in schools is “totally unacceptable.”
While acknowledging the place of Fiji Hindi in everyday communication, Professor Prasad insisted it should not be treated as a standalone vernacular language.
Professor Prasad added that recent changes to parliamentary Standing Orders now allow Members of Parliament to debate in either formal Hindi or i-Taukei, noting that even Opposition MPs have begun using formal Hindi in proceedings.
He concluded by warning that the NFP would resist any efforts to weaken the status of formal Hindi as one of Fiji’s official languages.
