English No Longer Mandatory For Class 11 & 12, Classified As 'Foreign Language' In Maharashtra

In a significant shift from long-standing practice in Maharashtra, the English language will be categorised as a ‘foreign language’ and will no longer be compulsory at the Junior College level (Classes 11 and 12). This recommendation is part of the draft State Curriculum Framework (SCF) for School Education (SE) from Class 3 to Class 12, released by the Maharashtra State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) on Wednesday, as reported by the Indian Express.

Subject Options For Classes 11 and 12 In Maharashtra

Under the new subject structure outlined in the SCF, students in Classes 11 and 12 would have the option to choose eight subjects, including two languages, environmental and physical education, and four subjects of their preference. One of the language choices must be an Indian language, as per the SCF's language chart, which lists 17 indigenous Indian languages and nine foreign languages, with English being the primary foreign language.

This proposal deviates from the long-standing practice of making English compulsory in Maharashtra's higher secondary education.

Concerns from Educationists

The proposed changes have raised concerns among some educationists, who question the rationale behind classifying English as a foreign language. Renowned educationist Vasant Kalpande, in an interview with the Indian Express, expressed his disagreement, stating, "How can English be considered a foreign language?" He highlighted the language's significance in official communication between state and central governments, court proceedings, and various governmental documents.

Kalpande further emphasised that English, along with Hindi, is declared as an official language of the Government of India, underscoring its importance in the country's administrative and legal spheres.

Changes In Education System

The SCF-SE also proposes changes to the language policy in earlier classes. For Classes 3 to 5, the current three-language setup may be replaced with a two-language system, where the primary language can be the mother tongue or the state language (Marathi), and the secondary language can be any other language.

For Classes 7 and 8, the proposed subject scheme recommends three languages without specifying the combination. In Classes 9 and 10, two out of the three languages must be of Indian origin.

Don't Miss: Understanding The Swati Maliwal Assault Case: A Timeline Of Key Events

Additionally, the SCF discusses introducing a multidisciplinary approach in junior college education, replacing the conventional Arts, Commerce, and Science streams. This would allow students to choose subjects across various disciplines.

The framework also recommends incorporating the Indian Knowledge System into the curriculum, including courses on Yoga, ancient Indian technologies and science, and historical Indian contributions to modern mathematics, such as Aryabhatta's work in trigonometry. Classes 11 and 12 would include a course on knowledge traditions and practises of India.

Don't Miss: Tripura Board 12th Result 2024: Check TBSE Result, Toppers Name, Marks & Percentage

For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi

Herzindagi.com is Jagran New Media's gender and lifestyle vertical, catering to women of all age groups, helping them remain updated, on-trend and aware. To improve our performance and understand our readers' interests better, we have created this poll. This will take 2 minutes of your time, do help us out with this link.

Image Courtesy: Freepik