Hindi must be made mandatory till Class 8, says new policy draft, media reports ,

#New Delhi :  Adhere strictly to the three-language formula with Hindi mandatory till Class 8 across the country, ensure a uniform syllabus nationwide for Science and Maths, develop a script in Devanagari for tribal dialects, and promote education based on “hunar (skill)”.

These are some of the key recommendations in the draft report prepared by the nine-member K Kasturirangan committee on the New Education Policy (NEP), which aims to implement an “India-centric” and “scientific” system of learning in schools, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sources said the committee handed over its report to the HRD Ministry last month before its tenure ended on December 31, 2018. “We have sought a meeting with the HRD Minister to hand over the report formally,” a member of the committee said on condition of anonymity.

Through positive govt schemes, India poised for brain gain: Prakash Javadekar
Speaking to The Indian Express, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said: “The committee’s report is ready and the members have sought an appointment. I will get the report after the Parliament session.”

On Thursday, responding to this news report, Javadekar tweeted that “the Committee on New Education Policy in its draft report has not recommended making any language compulsory”.

@PrakashJavdekar
The Committee on New Education Policy in its draft report has not recommended making any language compulsory. This clarification is necessitated in the wake of mischievous and misleading report in a section of the media.@narendramodi @PMOIndia

Sources said the government is yet to decide the next step for the policy, including placing it in the public domain for further suggestions and feedback.

“While subjects under Social Sciences need local content, there is no logic for a varied syllabus for Science and Mathematics in different state boards up to Class 12. Science and Mathematics may be taught in any language, but the syllabus should be the same in all states,” sources said. The Indian Express has learnt that the proposed NEP also advocates developing a syllabus for upto Class 5 in local languages, such as Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, etc., in areas where they are spoken. By the Indian Express.