JMI Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan blamed “government inertia”, saying that despite trained teachers being available, there were many vacancies in Urdu-medium schools.

“There isn't a funding problem, but unless the government is sympathetic to Urdu, it won't be possible to improve the condition of the schools,” said Prof Mohammad Miyan, director of JMI.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who inaugurated the convention, said, “We need schools that teach Urdu effectively. Delhiites love and respect the Urdu language.” She said the state government would open more Urdu medium schools.

Over 500 Urdu-medium teachers from schools in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh attended the convention, which explored teaching methods and gave teachers a platform to share their experience.

Some speakers, like Minister of State for Human Resource Development Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi, said there was a need to counter the perception that those who study in the Urdu medium don't do well in higher studies, especially in professional courses.

“There are students who have studied in Urdu medium and have gone on to become doctors, engineers, and lawyers,” he said. “It's not a setback.”

He gave his own example, saying he went to an Urdu-medium primary school, then studied in an English-medium school, and later went on to earn an engineering degree. But he said while Urdu must be promoted, students should also be made familiar with Hindi and English.

The topic of madrasas, or religious schools, also came up. Miyan said madrasas needed to be streamlined and brought into the mainstream, teaching Hindi, English, and Science, besides religious topics.

“Pass-outs should be able to get jobs in the wider community, not just in mosques,” he said.