Education minister Partha Chatterjee announced on Monday that students of all schools in Bengal would have to learn Bengali as a compulsory subject from classes I to X, irrespective of their native tongue or the boards their institutes are affiliated to.
MITA MUKHERJEE of Metro spoke to minister Chatterjee on Tuesday on how the government plans to implement the policy change.
Metro: How will the state government implement the three-language formula? Does this mean students have to study a third language from Class I onwards?
Chatterjee: We have yet to finalise the methodology for implementation. There is a proposal from some quarters that Bengali should be made compulsory from Class V. But we want the students to learn the subject from Class I. The subject can be taught as a first, second or third language... (Non Bengali-speaking) students will be free to study their mother tongue as their first language. They will also have to study English as a compulsory paper. So, these students will have to study Bengali as their third language. But we need to discuss this in detail with experts before we finalise the procedure for implementing the three-language formula.
Metro: How will students coming from other states adjust if they have to join a school in Bengal in Class VI or VII?
Chatterjee: They will have to learn Bengali as a compulsory subject. There will be no other option. This system is in practice in many other states such as Punjab and Karnataka.
Metro: Will the decision apply to private schools as well?
Chatterjee: Private schools will have to teach Bengali as a compulsory subject from Classes I till X. Schools affiliated to the ICSE and CBSE would have to do the same. We need to amend the rules that govern the functioning of private schools in Bengal to implement the new policy.
(A source in the Assembly said the government was planning to introduce a Bill in the session beginning May 19 to make Bengali a compulsory subject among the three language papers in schools).
Metro: How will the government implement the change in schools for minorities that enjoy the freedom to follow their own academic policies?
Chatterjee: We cannot ask the minority schools to implement our policy. But the government will request them to ensure that Bengali is taught as one of the language papers. But then, all students would have the freedom to choose the languages they would want to study as first, second or third papers.
Metro: What prompted the government to adopt the new three-language formula?
Chatterjee: Many states have done the same. Some are planning to do so. Our government intends to follow the same path so that uniformity is maintained.
