Jharkhand plans multilingual education policy to reflect state diversity
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has directed officials to frame a policy that integrates mother tongues, Hindi and English for students.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed officials on Wednesday to frame the proposed Jharkhand State Language Education Policy to reflect the linguistic, cultural and social diversity of the state, according to The Pioneer.
Chairing a meeting at the Jharkhand Secretariat to review a draft prepared by the School Education and Literacy Department, Soren said the policy should promote an additive multilingual approach.
The Chief Minister noted that children often speak mother tongues or local languages at home while classroom teaching is largely in Hindi or English. He said the language gap should not affect classroom participation or learning outcomes, particularly in the early years.
Soren suggested that the policy should integrate mother tongues, Hindi and English as complementary languages. He also directed officials to ensure spoken English classes are provided to students before they complete Class XII to help with higher education and employment.
The proposed policy covers three stages: early childhood education to Class II, Classes III to V, and Classes VI to XII. Officials stated the policy aims to preserve indigenous and regional languages while expanding their use in formal education.
The Chief Minister also called for an emphasis on skill-based education, suggesting hockey could be part of the initiative. He also stressed the need to strengthen digital literacy to meet the requirements of modern classrooms and technology.