Thursday, June 18, 2015

Marathi in CBSE, ICSE & IB curricula

To ensure that students from schools affiliated to CBSE, ICSE, IB, IGCSE and CIE boards in the state know Marathi, the education department has decided to incorporate the language in their curriculum. But Marathi will not be compulsory , clarified education minister Vinod Tawde.

The state has also decided to amend the Maharashtra Official Languages Act, 1964, to declare Marathi as the official language of the state. Marathi language is compulsory only in the SSC board.“Every person living in Maharashtra must know Marathi whether he comes here for work, to do business or study .Also, every student must know the language, whether in CBSE or ICSE,“ said Tawde.

He also clarified that Marathi will not be compulsory .“We do not want a politicallyinfluenced decision in education. The government will take advice from educationalists on how to incorporate Marathi in the curriculum; whether it should be a 100-mark or 50mark paper or taught without conducting an exam,“ he said.

Pointing out that the Maharashtra Official Languages Act, 1964, “very vaguely“ mentions that Marathi is the state's official language, Tawde said, “We will amend it and it will be clearly mentioned in the Act.Also, the state will try to increase the use of Marathi in government business and lower courts in rural areas,“ said Tawde, who also holds the cultural department portfolio.“The state will introduce the Bill in the session before amending the Act.“

Tawde also indicated that the pattern of the SSC board syllabus would be changed.“Instead of rote learning, SSC students should learn how to apply their mind. So, 50% of the syllabus should be activity oriented so that many students do not score beyond 90%,“ said Tawde. He has set up an expert team to find out if SSC students are scoring high due to decline in quality of education or problem in the marking system.

Source | Times of India | 18 June 2015

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