[lg policy] Sabha push for Assamese, local tongue in CBSE schools

[Harold Schiffman]

 Sabha push for Assamese, local tongue in CBSE schoolsKangkan Kalita
<https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Kangkan-Kalita-479220587.cms>
| TNN | Sep 27, 2018, 09:24 IST
[image: Picture for representational purpose only.]Picture for
representational purpose only.
GUWAHATI: The Asam Sahitya Sabha
<https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Asam-Sahitya-Sabha>'s demand to
make Assamese and other regional languages compulsory in CBSE-affiliated
schools has met a positive response from the board's officials in the
state.
The Sabha's demand to make Assamese compulsory in all schools of the state
is a long-standing one. Earlier this week, CBSE officials and Sabha members
held a meeting to discuss the matter. "We got a positive response from the
director of CBSE's Guwahati regional office, KK Choudhury," a statement
issued by the 100-year-old apex literary body on Wednesday said. Choudhury
told TOI he has assured the literary body that their demands can be met as
soon as the board gets the Centre's approval.

The Sabha will now approach the Centre with its demand. "We will move Union
HRD minister Prakash Javadekar
<https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/prakash-javadekar> about our
demand to teach Assamese and other local languages in the state's
CBSE-affiliated schools on a mandatory basis, as talks with top CBSE
officials on the matter were held in Guwahati," the statement added.

The Sabha also appealed to all CBSE-affiliated schools to help promote
Assamese and regional languages. "Sahitya Sabha is emphasizing on
compulsory teaching of Bodo, Rabha, Mishing, Tiwa, Karbi, Dimasa and other
local languages spoken by the ethnic tribes and communities as well as
Assamese in every CBSE-affiliated school in Assam," the Sabha said. "These
schools must impart lessons on Assamese or the primary local languages of
the areas where the schools are located. A 50-mark exam in Assamese or
other local languages has to be introduced," the statement added.

Several regional organizations in the state have backed the demand, saying
that while English and Hindi get due importance in the state's
CBSE-affiliated schools, the decline in use of regional languages in
schools is a matter of concern.

To take the proposal ahead, CBSE sources said, there is a need to bring the
NCERT on board. "NCERT will play an important role in this - it has to
publish books on various ethnic languages of Assam if the demand is met,"
sources said. As per the language policy, every CBSE school needs to teach
three languages compulsorily up to Class VIII, while two languages have to
be taught on a mandatory basis in Classes IX and X.


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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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