Educationists uneasy over introduction of 3rd language in class 1
Mumbai: The state govt's decision to introduce the
three-language formula
right from Grade 1 runs contrary to the
National Curriculum Framework
's approach: the third language, it says, belongs to the middle stage of schooling.
The govt's announcement has perplexed educationists, who question the resources available for teaching languages and the purpose behind the decision. "Who says that Maharashtra has enough Hindi teachers?" asked a former senior education officer.
Those who followed the making of the school education policy recalled that only last year, the state had released its draft curriculum framework which promised two languages—Marathi and English—from Grade 1, and a third—be it Hindi, Sanskrit, a regional tongue, or even a foreign one—starting in Grade 6. Public feedback was sought. A press note followed on May 27, 2024, reaffirming the same structure and stages.
Under the national framework, language curricular goals for foundational years say, "Children develop effective communication skills for day-to-day interactions in two languages. Children develop fluency in reading and writing in language 1. Children begin to read and write in language 2." There is no mention of a third language in these early years.
"This wasn't just policy. It was pedagogy," said Avnita Bir, Principal-Director of R N Podar School, a CBSE institute. "We used to offer two languages in grade 1, but when Maharashtra made Marathi compulsory, we included that too. Now, we're offering three from the start?"
Educationists pointed out that before 2000, children began with one language in Grade 1—their medium of instruction. In the early 2000s, a second language was added—English was introduced in all non-English medium schools and Marathi in all non-Marathi medium schools using English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, etc as medium of instruction. "It was introduced gently and playfully. No exams, no notebooks. Just familiarity. The syllabus was crafted very carefully," said Dhanavanti Hardikar, who headed Balbharti's language section.
"For 25 years, this worked. And now, without warning, we're told to bring in a third language at Grade 1," Hardikar added. "This wasn't in the state's curriculum framework. A third language at Grade 1 should not be introduced at all, but if the state is adamant, it has to be through the play-way method, with no written work, no exams, and a huge tolerance towards students' errors."
Vasant Kalpande, former state board chairman, said, "Instead of rushing in new languages, we need to focus on making sure what we teach is actually taught well."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Maharashtra reconstitutes panel on Karnataka border row
BELAGAVI: In a fresh move to bolster its stance on the boundary dispute with Karnataka, the Maharashtra government has reconstituted its high power committee. The committee will be headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Several top leaders from different political parties of Maharashtra are on this panel, which was earlier headed by former CM Eknath Shinde. The 18-member committee includes DyCMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, former CMs Sharad Pawar, Prithviraj Chavan, and Narayan Rane, and border affairs expert Prof Avinash Kolhe. Ministers Chandrakant Dada Patil and Shambhuraje Desai are on the core coordination team attached to the panel and are tasked with handling matters related to the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a pro-Marathi outfit based in Karnataka. According to informed sources, the committee will draw up strategies to not only strengthen the boundary case stronger in the Supreme Court but would also dwell upon various alternatives which could help Maharashtra in the ongoing tussle. Sources said that MES leaders may be asked to provide information about the dispute which could benefit Maharashtra. It may be noted that at the behest of MES, the Maharashtra government is involved in a legal and political battle with Karnataka, staking its claim on hundreds of villages and towns of Karnataka along the border, including Belagavi, Khanapur, Karwar, Bhalki, and Nippani.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: Flight carrying Indian students from Iran reaches Delhi; Air India plane crash victims' families' long wait for closure
Good morning, The wait is finally over! India seems to have found its next big cricket star, as Shubman Gill took captaincy in his stride and hit the ground running on day one of India's English summer. Unbeaten on 127, a run short of his highest-ever Test score, Gill middled most balls during the match. Sandeep Dwivedi, describing Gill's game on the field, writes: 'Shubman at Headingley cracked that code, he had the right answer to that delicate question – What to defend and what to drive. That was the reason why close to half of his 16 fours on the off-side with his cover drives stood out for their fluency.' At 359/3, India had clearly nosed ahead in the Test series against England. The new era has had a dream start. With that, let's move on to the top 5 stories from today's edition: 🚨 Big Story Israel's strikes on Friday resulted in damage to key buildings at the partially constructed Khondab (formerly known as Arak) Heavy Water Production Plant, including its distillation unit, located in Iran. Just days earlier, Israel launched overnight airstrikes on several Iranian sites, including the headquarters of SPND, Iran's primary research organisation for nuclear weapons development. These strikes killed multiple Iranian nuclear scientists and top military officials, as per reports. It has, since then, hit prominent Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran. In retaliation, Iran hit the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science, causing heavy damage to multiple research facilities while signalling a chilling new front in the widening conflict. The most-awaited return: As the Israel-Iran war continued to rage amid indications that the United States could join the strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, Delhi managed to persuade Tehran to open Iranian airspace for the evacuation of around 1,000 Indians via the north-eastern town of Mashhad. As part of the latest efforts under Operation Sindhu, a flight from Mashhad, carrying 290 Indian students, mainly from Jammu and Kashmir, landed at Delhi airport late Friday. At least three Iranian airline Mahan Air flights are being operated to bring back Indians this weekend, with one expected to arrive from Ashgabat in Turkmenistan soon. Follow here as we bring to you latest updates on the Iran-Israel war! Breach: The Islamic Republic has said that its Parliament was preparing a Bill to potentially leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970, the international treaty is aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and technology, and promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as well as disarmament. Although Iran is a signatory of the Bill, the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors (which includes the P5, India, Bangladesh, Japan and Ukraine), in its first such decision in almost 20 years, recently said that Iran breached its non-proliferation obligations. What does this mean? What happens if Iran leaves the NPT? We explain. ⚡ Only in Express The long wait: With most victims in the London-bound Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad charred beyond recognition, including 12 people at the crash site, confirming their identities correctly has been a formidable task. As of 11.50 am on June 20, 223 victims were identified and 204 remains were handed over to families. Officials said the final toll would be declared after the DNA profiling of all victims is complete. From following Interpol guidelines, DNA matching, to handling child victims, here's how Ahmedabad is helping crash victims' families find some closure. Diu's loss: Among those who died in the Ahmedabad-Gatwick flight crash were 14 with roots in Diu – four of them British (including Ajay, brother of Vishwas Kumar – the sole survivor of India's worst air disaster in three decades, out of 242 on board) and seven Portuguese. On this tiny island of about 51,000 people, many have lost someone they knew in the airplane crash – the white caps and dark saris, a mark of mourning, now dot the island. 💡 Express Explained Islamabad has extended strong rhetorical support to Tehran amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, calling Israel's actions a 'violation of all rules of civilised behaviour… and international humanitarian law'. Yet it has stopped short of making any tangible military commitments to Iran. Islamabad's tightrope walk vis-à-vis Tehran is apparent in statements during Army Chief General Asim Munir's visit to Washington this week, where he emphasised 'clear and strong' support for Iran. How do we understand this balancing act? Read our Explainer here. ✍️ Express Opinion In our Opinion section today, Jonah Blank delves into the latest escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel, and what's in it for the leaders of these nations. He writes: 'Long-term planning requires trade-offs. If you're the leader of a powerful nation, you might have to forgo a flashy-but-transitory headline today in order to seal a boring-yet-substantial treaty that will benefit your successor. Neither Netanyahu nor Trump are that kind of leader. Which is why their decisions will make Iran's nuclearisation less immediate — but, eventually, more certain.' 🍿 Movie Review Wondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we've got your back! The Aamir Khan-starrer Sitaare Zameen Par has hit the theatres, and we can't wait for the magic to take over. It adopts the original's determinedly 'cheery vein to win its matches; in the process, it also wins our hearts,' writes Shubhra Gupta in her review. She further writes: 'Borrowing the tone from the original, 'Sitaare Zameen Par' chooses to stay on the side of laughter, and it's a wise decision, because what you can convey to the average person through laughs sometimes has more weight than wrung-out tears.' That's all for today. Have a lovely weekend! Until next time, Ariba
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Congress favours Hindi, but English opens new avenues: Ashok Gehlot
'Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi and all of us are also in favour of Hindi but English is an international language which opens new avenues in the world for everyone,' Gehlot said in a post on X. Jaipur, Jun 20 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said Congress is in favour of Hindi but English opens new avenues in the world for everyone. 'Home Minister Shah and many people of BJP-RSS are against English although the people of the country know that the children of most of the Union ministers are studying abroad and they confuse the people here,' the Congress leader said. During childhood, we also used to oppose English but it has become the need of the hour, so we also changed our 'approach', he said. Today, in the era of computers, internet, Artificial Intelligence, the young generation can be completely successful in life through English, Gehlot said. The previous Congress government in Rajasthan established about 3700 Mahatma Gandhi English medium schools to promote education in English among the poor and middle class and rural areas. Due to this decision, about 6.50 lakh students started receiving education in English, he said. The Congress leader added, 'The BJP government in the state tried to close these English medium schools but could not take such a step due to their popularity among the public.' PTI AG NB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
