<div dir="ltr"><h1> wants playschools to mind language, go vernacular</h1>
<div class=""> <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/columnist/abantikaghosh/">Abantika Ghosh</a> : New Delhi, Sun Sep 15 2013, 11:13 hrs <span>
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<div class=""><span>Plan is part of proposed early childhood care and education policy</span></div>
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In a proposal that has all the makings of a controversy, the Centre
wants all teaching in playschools to be in the mother tongue or the
local vernacular language.
<p>The plan is a part of the proposed early childhood care and education
policy (ECCE) which says English can be taught but would not be the
medium of instruction. Some educationists said this neither takes into
account the diversity of the country nor the increasingly cosmopolitan
character of its cities.
</p><p>
</p><p><a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/file-separate-petition-on-safety-of-children-aged-below-6-years-says-high-court/1080794/" target="_blank"><font color="#0260a8"><b>File separate petition on safety of children aged below 6 years: High Court</b></font></a>
</p><p>
</p><p>Drafted by the women and child development ministry, the policy
contains a broad framework for running a playschool/creche, including
space requirement, trained staff, sanitation facilities,
teacher-children ratio etc.
</p><p>It also includes a paragraph about mother tongue/local
vernacular/home language being the primary language of interaction in
all ECCE programmes. Although it does not preclude the introduction of
English given a young child's ability to learn languages, the policy
stresses on the mother tongue approach more than once.
</p><p>While this is in line with the guiding principles of the NCERT's
National Curriculum Framework, it is the first time a national policy
lays down in black and white that the medium of instruction for children
aged below six years should be the mother tongue.
</p><p>Some educationists approved of the idea.
</p><p>"This was long overdue. It makes sense to have this in the policy
because once you start in the language that the child is comfortable
in, it is very easy to move to the next level, Starting in the mother
tongue gives a tremendous boost to the child's development," said Indu
Kaura, former principal of the child care centre at Lady Irwin College.
</p><p>But others questioned it, pointing at an increasingly
cosmopolitan setup where mother tongues differ and even the languages of
the parents differ, making English at times the primary language of
conversation at home. They also ask how the child can make a seamless
transition from playschool to a regular one if it is not used to
instructions in English. Playschool chains said there were practical
difficulties in this "academic" line.
</p><p>"This would impede on the learning of the child. In a setup where
children come from such diverse backgrounds, who will determine what
language to speak to them in?" asked Hazel Shiromani, managing director
of Maple Bear, where English is the medium of instruction.
</p><p>"The idea is to speak to them in a uniform language. How will
that happen if the instruction has to be in the home language of the
child. Moreover what about teachers? It is possible a teacher is a good
educator but not comfortable in the local language. This is going to be
very challenging."
</p><p>A senior functionary of another playschool with branches in Noida
and Delhi said many children from upper-middle class households come
with some degree of comfort in English. Starting them on vernacular
education may not only turn out to be counterproductive but also hamper
smooth transition to a secondary school, the functionary said. <br></p><p><a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/govt-wants-playschools-to-mind-language-go-vernacular/1169385/0">http://www.indianexpress.com/news/govt-wants-playschools-to-mind-language-go-vernacular/1169385/0</a><br>
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