[lg policy] India: Language leeway in draft policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Language leeway in draft policy BASANT KUMAR MOHANTY

*New Delhi, June 15: *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.

It says the exemption given to minority schools from reserving seats for
economically weaker sections is wrong.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

At present, there is no uniform practice in states on when to introduce
English.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160616/jsp/nation/story_91508.jsp#.V2L2UzW92-c


-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its
members
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)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20160616/a812e3af/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list