<div dir="ltr"><h1 id="hd" class="">Language leeway in draft policy</h1>
BASANT KUMAR MOHANTY
<p><strong>New Delhi, June 15: </strong>A draft
education policy yet to be made public offers states the flexibility to
teach foreign languages in school and lays stress on training children
to accept, not merely tolerate, the country's plurality.</p>
<p>It says the exemption given to minority schools from reserving seats for economically weaker sections is wrong.</p>
<p>T.S.R. Subramanian, the head of the five-member panel that drew up
the draft policy, told reporters the compulsory three-language formula
recommended by the National Education Policy, 1968, was not being
implemented.</p><div id="inarticle_wrapper_div"><div id="inread1_26817" style="display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;clear:both;width:494px"><div class="" id="inread_26817" style="height:1px;overflow:hidden"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr id="zd_tr_26817"><td style="" id="zd_td_26817"></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div>
<p>That means schoolchildren in Hindi-speaking states are not learning
any south Indian language. Nor are schools in southern states teaching
Hindi, having replaced it with Sanskrit.</p>
<p>"The three-language formula is not being implemented. It is better to
give state governments and parents the flexibility to decide what
language children should learn in school," Subramanian said.</p>
<p>The draft policy, he said, had not prescribed any specific
combination of languages to be taught. It had only said that the medium
of instruction in Classes I-V must be the mother tongue.</p>
<p>According to the existing three-language formula, children cannot
learn any foreign tongue in school. In 2012, the government-run Kendriya
Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) had introduced German as the third language
but withdrew it two years later on directions from the NDA government.</p>
<p>The KVS brought back its previous policy of Sanskrit as the third
language for students in Classes VI-VIII. It allowed students to study a
foreign language as a fourth language.</p>
<p>"Depending on the choice of the student, parents, school system and
the state government, there is scope for studying a foreign language
like French, German, Arabic etc. The foreign language can be introduced
as the third or fourth language," Subramanian said.</p>
<p>He said the draft recommended that the third language should ideally
be taught from Class IX, but if the state government preferred, it could
be introduced from Class VI.</p>
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<img alt="" src="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160616/images/nat2.jpg" width="494">
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<p>Since private schools were attracting a growing number of children by
claiming to offer English, there was provision to introduce the second
language at the primary level, he said. However, English should be
taught as a communication skill rather than grammar.</p>
<p>At present, there is no uniform practice in states on when to introduce English.</p>
<p>Sanskrit can be taught at the upper primary or secondary levels
depending on the state government. But it too should be taught in
conversational style, not grammar first.</p>
<p>The draft policy harps on inculcating in children the spirit to
accept each other's culture and faith. Initially, the stress was on
teaching them to "tolerate" the diverse heritage, culture and religion
of the country. Later, it was changed to "acceptance" of diversity.</p>
<p>"It is not merely tolerating the diversity. Education must prepare
children to accept the diversity, India's heritage, culture, history and
religious amity," Subramanian said.</p>
<p>The draft policy recommends that exemption given to minority
institutions from reserving seats for economically weaker sections
should stop. It says the quota system should be strengthened in all
schools, he said. "We said the government should review the exemption
given to minority schools," he said, adding it was the reason why
minority schools had mushroomed in the country.</p>
<p>The Right to Education Act provides for 25 per cent reservation in
private schools for children of economically weaker sections. But the
Supreme Court has exempted minority schools from this as minorities are
empowered by the Constitution to administer educational institutions as
they wish.</p>
<p>HRD minister Smriti Irani had recently said the draft policy would
not be made public till a fresh round of talks was held with states.
Both the government and the panel have held one round of consultation
each with the states.</p><p><a href="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160616/jsp/nation/story_91508.jsp#.V2L2UzW92-c">http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160616/jsp/nation/story_91508.jsp#.V2L2UzW92-c</a><br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="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/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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