New Delhi: With its two departments of higher education and school education, the Human Resource Development Ministry oversees more than 40 central universities, 16 IITs (Indian Institute of Technology), 13 IIMs (Indian Institute of Management), 30 National Institutes of Technology and more than 1.4 million schools.

Amid the recent controversy over replacing German with Sanskrit as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas, HRD Minister Smriti Irani had strongly defended the decision, saying the existing arrangement was in violation of the three language formula. The three language formula as enunciated by the National policy on Education and subsequently by the National Curriculum Framework 2005 states that Sanskrit may be studied as a modern Indian language apart from Hindi and English.

However, she said German would continue to be taught as an “additional subject of hobby class”. The minister said “an investigation” has already been launched into the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2011 enabling German being taught as the third language.

“It violated the constitutional right of the child and the state. It is not about promotion of Sanskrit but about safeguarding constitutional rights,” she had told reporters at that time.

In the past, Irani has routinely hauled up senior officers for allegedly leaking negative stories to the media. She has had three Press Information Bureau (PIB) media officers removed in the last six months.

Last month she sought an explanation from Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) over the spelling mistakes in a congratulatory letter sent on her behalf to a school teacher for the good results in the Board exams. The letter sent by CBSE went viral soon after teacher Richa Kumar of Delhi Public School, Bhilai posted it in social media, prompting instant reactions from cross sections of the society. The Minister’s name is spelt incorrectly in Hindi as well as the words “minister” and “sansadhan (resource)”.

In 2013, Delhi University started the much-debated four-year under-graduate programme and only a year later, rolled it back after a tussle with the University Grants Commission (UGC). Later there were reports that Irani had forwarded paperwork to President Pranab Mukherjee’s office questioning Delhi University (DU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Dinesh Singh’s conduct and requesting his ouster. This was followed by reports of a 1,000-page show cause notice being issued to Dinesh Singh and a 15-page response by the VC.

The decision to celebrate former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday as Good Governance Day in schools probably became her biggest controversy. That also happened to be Christmas day and suddenly Irani was accused of stealing Christmas.

Recently, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury expressed concern over reports that non-vegetarian food had been taken off the menu of IIT-Delhi canteen and sought Irani’s intervention in the matter. Irani rejected allegations that she was promoting vegetarian food in IITs, contending that such meals had already been stopped during Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government’s rule.