<div dir="ltr"><h1>3rd and foreign language: HRD opens to debate</h1>
<div class="">
<div class="">
<div class="">
<span class=""><span style="text-decoration:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);display:inline-block;margin:3px 3px 0px;padding:0px;font-size:11px;line-height:0px;vertical-align:bottom;overflow:visible"><div class=""><span style="vertical-align:bottom;width:81px;height:20px"></span></div></span></span> <span class=""><span class="" style="text-decoration:none;color:rgb(0,0,0);display:inline-block"><span><span class=""><span style="display:inline-block" class=""><span class=""></span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div></div>
<div class="">
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div class="">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:5px 5px 0px" valign="top"><br></td></tr> <tr><td style="padding:0px 5px" valign="top"><br></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" style="text-align:right;padding-right:5px"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?ct=abg&q=https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py%3Fcontact%3Dabg_afc%26url%3Dhttp://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/3rd-and-foreign-language-hrd-opens-to-debate/%26gl%3DUS%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dca-pub-9517772455344405%26ai0%3DCObjepuYKVdDVK8mlhAS6y4C4DeiehpkHmKiajpABwI23ARABIIKd1gxgyf7oirSk5A-gAZCU1OADyAEBqAMBqgTHAU_QzMZPTasPxBzHmLv7vI8J4_H8GBsoaKb7z1IMB_eGQ0-vIJRjWwtWFpFglmJE9FbL1wY8N865s0aQ_Ny3die0USBRGot_u1yvcFXTZ9Pf9Wp3SvWxARi0-bFwO7HtZ3TSYNVsmbKrZa8X2-vMd-Kzla8jMWhmuVlWhXNSUpDXHFL0qoIvwDhs987GxmZeaUZzctlVtnSnjfuRE_G2lYRMsHSDsjyddoPyG-cHPeggDNixPBnA-vA697wBihAMjsyAqAYyZt-IBgGAB7TfrQHYBwE&usg=AFQjCNHCwjAdQDiD9HLUhss5cfncNQ4YmQ" style="font:10px arial;color:rgb(186,186,186);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Ads by Google</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
<div class="">
<div class="">
<div class="" style="height:auto;width:100%;margin:auto!important;text-align:center;background:none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;overflow:hidden!important"><img style="float: none; width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; display: block;" class="" src="http://images.indianexpress.com/2015/03/smriti-irani-l.jpg" alt="Smriti Irani, German language row,German in schools, Sanskrit language, Kendriya Vidyalaya schools, Smriti Irani German row, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, KVS, express news" height="422" width="759"></div><div style="width:470px;padding:0px;height:2px;display:block;margin-left:9.5px" id="impulseadcontainer">
<div style="width:650px;height:135px">
</div>
<div id="AT_collapsed_12161321_10" style="display:inline;width:650px;height:135px">
</div>
</div> When the Board of KVS, headed by Irani, scrapped German as the
third language in October last year, the minister had cited
three-language formula and the Constitution. </div>
</div>
<div class=""> Written by <a href="http://indianexpress.com/profile/author/ruhi-tewari/" class="" id="written_by1">Ruhi Tewari</a>
| New Delhi |
<span> Updated: March 19, 2015 3:13 am</span>
</div>
<div class="">
<p>In an apparent climbdown months after it replaced German with
Sanskrit as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools, the Smriti
Irani-led HRD Ministry is looking at how “foreign languages can be
prescribed as an additional tool” in a “highly competitive world” and
whether the three-language formula should be “debated”.</p>
<p>Both these issues are set to be taken up at a meeting of state
education ministers and secretaries on Saturday to discuss the
consultative process in formulating the new national education policy.
In a detailed note on the “themes and questions for policy
consultations” during the meeting, the ministry has listed 13 broad
themes for school education and 20 for higher education.</p>
<p>When the Board of Governors of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS),
headed by Irani, scrapped German as the third language in October last
year (German has been kept as an additional subject/ hobby class), the
minister had cited the three-language formula and the Constitution.
According to this formula, schools should teach Hindi, English and one
modern Indian language (preferably one of the southern languages) in
Hindi-speaking states and Hindi, English and the regional language in
non-Hindi speaking states. Introduced in 1968, this formula was
reiterated in the 1986 education policy, as well as in 2005.</p>
<p>But in its latest note, under the head of “promotion of languages” in
school education, the ministry has said that a “multilingual society
recognises the importance of education in languages”.</p>
<p><strong>Among the questions that have been listed are:</strong></p>
<p>* In a highly competitive world, at which level and how can foreign languages be prescribed as an additional tool?</p>
<p>* What language would you like your children to learn in schools?</p>
<p>* What should be the place of Hindi, English and local languages in school education?</p>
<p>* Which language would be preferred as a medium of instruction in schools?</p>
<p>* Should education in mother tongue and multilingual education in schools be encouraged?</p>
<p>The note also emphasises the importance of “mother tongue-based”
education. “While there are some interventions for appointment of
language teachers and promotion of classical languages, there is no
comprehensive scheme or language policy and we need to have inputs on
this dimension,” it says.</p>
<p>The note says “there is a general perception that children learning
through English-medium have an advantage over others while entering the
world of work”.</p>
<p>In an indication that there may be a revision of textbooks, the note
also questions if there is a “need to improve secondary/ senior
secondary textbooks” and how many languages should be taught at the
secondary/ senior secondary levels.</p>
<p>Another issue that is likely to be discussed is whether abolition of Class X exams has “reduced learning levels” of students.</p>
<p>For higher education, a question that has been listed is if universities <span class=""><i><a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/3rd-and-foreign-language-hrd-opens-to-debate/2">continued…</a></i></span></p><p><span class=""><i><a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/3rd-and-foreign-language-hrd-opens-to-debate/2">http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/3rd-and-foreign-language-hrd-opens-to-debate/<br></a></i></span></p>
</div><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>
</div>