Students in secondary schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will have the option of studying Mandarin, a language spoken in China, from the 2011-12 academic session.
The move is of significance in cities like Calcutta, which have a large number of people of Chinese origin. Mandarin will add to the list of eight foreign languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Arabic, offered as optional subjects in the over 10,000 schools affiliated to the CBSE.
The board has set up a panel of experts to suggest a syllabus for Mandarin, prepare textbooks and recommend measures for training teachers in the language. The panel will submit its report in three months.
“China is a hub of manufacturing and one of the largest economies of the world,” CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said. “Our children need to learn the language so they can take advantage of the opportunities in China.”
While there are enough teachers in the eight other foreign languages, Mandarin may pose a problem, an official said. India may take the help of language experts in China in training teachers in the language.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal discussed the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yuan Guiren during his recent visit to Beijing and was promised full support.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan also indicated today that Mandarin might be on its list.
However, not all experts agreed with the move. “In school, a child cannot decide whether to get a job in India or China,” said academic C.P. Bhambhri.
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