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 stated that students should learn additional languages without losing proficiency in their first language, ensuring the language gap between home and classroom does not affect learning outcomes.
Soren 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, aiming to integrate mother tongues and local languages into formal schooling.
The Chief Minister also suggested an emphasis on skill-based education, noting that hockey could be considered as part of the initiative to nurture sporting talent alongside academics.