Fiji's NFP Leader Calls for Formal Hindi and i-Taukei as Compulsory Subjects, Rejects Fiji Hindi Proposal

Former Deputy Prime Minister and National Federation Party leader Prof. Biman Prasad has proposed making formal Hindi and i-Taukei (Vosa Vakaviti) compulsory subjects up to Year 8 in Fiji's primary schools. His remarks came in response to Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya's advocacy for Fiji Hindi, which Prasad called *"insulting"* and an attempt to *"degrade the formal language of Indo-Fijians."*

Prasad argued that formal Hindi, rather than conversational Fiji Hindi, should be taught as the vernacular language, noting that *"Hindi scriptures are in formal Hindi and not Fiji Hindi."* He emphasized that while no one opposes Fiji Hindi, it should not replace formal Hindi as it is *"not a vernacular language on its own."*

The NFP leader also advocated for religious and cultural organizations like TISI Sangam, Fiji Muslim League, and Chinese and Gujarati communities to receive government support for teaching Tamil, Urdu, Mandarin, and Gujarati to students wanting to learn their mother tongues. Prasad framed the initiative as promoting cross-cultural understanding in Fiji's multi-ethnic society, warning against any attempts to dilute formal Hindi's status as an official language.