Sanskrit, French as optional languages; teaching in Punjabi in early grades: Union ministry lists Punjab's initiatives under NEP
Responding to a question by Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, Union Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Education Jayant Chaudhary replied that Punjab has taken several initiatives in alignment of NEP.
'As informed by the state of Punjab, following initiatives aligned with the NEP 2020 are being actively implemented, under the umbrella of centrally sponsored schemes of Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI, with continued financial and technical support from the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India: 1. Implementation of pre-primary classes in all primary schools of Punjab including rural areas 2. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: The NIPUN Bharat Mission is being implemented with focus on achieving FLN by grade early childhood education activities are being promoted in all primary schools,' Chaudhary said.
The reply said on multilingualism and mother tongue instruction, Punjab schools are teaching in the mother tongue Punjabi in early grades. 'In context to multilingualism, the state has already taken the following initiatives: Sanskrit, French, German and Urdu languages are also implemented as an optional subject at senior secondary level. Most of the time classroom instructions are given bilingually and students have the option to choose one medium from Punjabi, English and Hindi. Teaching-learning materials and resources have been developed and disseminated in Hindi, Punjabi, and English, catering to regional language needs,' the MoS said.
Chaudhary added that training modules and digital content have also been translated into these languages. He also said in Punjab, Teacher Professional Development is being carried out under the NISHTHA training modules aligned with NEP goals. 'In the category of digital and tech-based education, the state has adopted initiatives like DIKSHA. The state has also approved 5 TV channels under PM e-Vidya. In the assessment reforms, learning outcomes-based assessments are being promoted. Punjab participated in PARAKH-led national assessments like NAS and is incorporating competency-based evaluation in line with NEP directives,' he added.
Furthermore, the PM-SHRI scheme has been implemented in 347 schools of Punjab.
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