<div dir="ltr"><span style class=""><h1>State boards have own 3-language mantra</h1></span><span style="margin-top:5px;display:block" class=""><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle">TNN
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Nov 29, 2014, 04.02 AM IST</span></span><div class=""><div id="commentWrapper" class=""><div class="" id="sharebar"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><span style="vertical-align:bottom;width:49px;height:86px"></span></div></div><div class=""><span class="" style="line-height:1;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;text-align:center"><span style="padding:0px!important;margin:0px!important;text-indent:0px!important;display:inline-block!important;vertical-align:baseline!important;font-size:1px!important"><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470555_3-container" class=""><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470555_3" class=""><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470555_3-inner" class=""><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470555_3-content" class="">0</span></span></span></span></span><br><span style="padding:0px!important;margin:0px!important;text-indent:0px!important;display:inline-block!important;vertical-align:baseline!important;font-size:1px!important"><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470549_2"><a id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470549_2-link"><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470549_2-logo">in</span><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470549_2-title"><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470549_2-mark"></span><span id="li_ui_li_gen_1417278470549_2-title-text">Share</span></span></a></span></span></span></div><br></div></div></div></div><span style="float:left" name="advenueINTEXT" id="advenueINTEXT"><div class="" id="storydiv"><div style="padding:0px;border-top:medium none" class=""><br></div><div style="min-width:155px" id="LeftData"><div id="sshow"><div class=""><div id="bellyad"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1389008055500-2" style="width:300px;height:250px"> </div></div></div></div></div><div id="relartstory" class=""><div class="">RELATED</div><div style="padding-bottom:10px" id="tab-container"><div id="recommlayer" class="" style="float:left"><div class=""><div style="display:inline-block" id="recommendedid"><ul class="" id="marketnews"><li><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Smriti-Irani-defends-Sanskrit-replacing-German-as-third-language-in-Kendriya-Vidyalayas/articleshow/45152012.cms">Smriti Irani defends Sanskrit replacing German as third language in K...</a></li><li><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/CBSE-schools-embark-on-operation-clean/articleshow/43451499.cms">CBSE schools embark on operation clean</a></li><li><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/City-CBSE-schools-oppose-imposition-of-Sanskrit/articleshow/45234295.cms">City CBSE schools oppose ‘imposition’ of Sanskrit</a></li><li><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Now-saffron-outfit-wants-CBSE-schools-to-drop-foreign-languages/articleshow/45223863.cms">Now, saffron outfit wants CBSE schools to drop foreign languages</a></li><li style="border-bottom:0px none"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/CBSE-to-set-up-database-of-students-mobile-phones-e-mail-IDs/articleshow/40816694.cms">CBSE to set up database of students’ mobile phones, e-mail IDs</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div><div style="border-bottom:1px solid black;padding-bottom:5px" class="" id="inc_dec"><div id="artext1" class=""><div class=""> <span>CHENNAI:
The controversy around the HRD ministry's insistence on teaching only
Indian languages in middle school appears to be at odds with the state
of affairs in school boards across states. While the Centre has faulted
Kendriya Vidyalayas for teaching German in Classes VI to VIII, regional
boards have a laissez-faire policy, allowing foreign languages to be
taught at the equivalent level.</span> <br><br> Secondary divisions,
depending on which part of the country they're in, can choose from
Latin, Portuguese, Persian, Arabic, French, Spanish and German apart
from Indic languages. These options stem from the availability of
teachers to a region's cultural diversity. <br><br> A Class VIII student
of Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education can pick from
Portuguese, French, German, Konkani, Sanskrit, Kannada and Urdu as third
language. Puducherry offers French, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit and English.
Bengal has Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Latin and Greek. <br><br>
Abundance of resources allows Mumbai and Delhi schools to follow a
similar flexible approach. Often in the absence of strict board
regulations, a school's location and availability of teachers are the
only determinants. The three-language formula of English and any two
modern Indian languages, which the Centre seeks to resurrect, was
introduced in the 1960s to promote national integration by facilitating
the learning of Hindi in southern states and other Indian languages in
Hindi-speaking regions. More than 50 years later each state has modified
the policy to suit its needs. <br><br> The reluctance to accord Hindi
importance in non-Hindi-speaking states and the urge to promote the
state language have meant further deviation from the policy. TN follows a
two-language formula. Tamil, as mother tongue of the majority, is
taught as first language in government and private state board schools.
English is medium of instruction in most private schools. There's no
compulsion to learn a third language. <br><br> In many states, Sanskrit
was a predominant third language choice, especially where parents had
transferable jobs. For, there was greater likelihood of schools
elsewhere offering it. In recent years enrolment for Sanskrit has fallen
because more schools offer foreign languages. Private schools teach
languages based on demand or availability of teachers. Big city
institutions often have resources allowing them to teach foreign
languages. <br><br> A private matriculation school in Tiruvallur near
Chennai offers Japanese. "We wanted to introduce a foreign language for
employability reasons. We offer Japanese - the only foreign language we
found a teacher for," says school correspondent P Vishnucharan. <br><br>
For many students, choice depends on higher education plans. Jeyanthi
John, a Class VII student in a Chennai private CBSE school, said she
switched from matriculation to CBSE because her parents wanted her to
have the option of studying Hindi and French. "My parents believe in
thinking global, acting local. They made extra efforts to get my brother
and me into a school that offered language options. They wanted us to
be equipped if we travel within or outside the country." <br><br> Given
these circumstances, imposing a fixed three-language formula is
unreasonable, feel academics. "It's important to learn a language for
practical use. Instead of rejecting a foreign language, it's time for a
relook at our language policy in schools. This calls for an education
system revamp and a change in attitude among policy makers, schools,
parents and students," said Sonal Kulkarni Joshi, treasurer, Linguistic
Society of India. "We need to find room within the curriculum to make it
possible for a child to learn more than one Indian language without
having to contend with an examination," she added.<br><br><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/state-boards-have-own-3-language-mantra/articleshow/45314364.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/state-boards-have-own-3-language-mantra/articleshow/45314364.cms</a><br></div></div></div></div></span><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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