The Gujarat government announced on Thursday that in the upcoming year, English will be introduced from Class 1 to ensure that students of Gujarati and other non-English medium schools become more conversant in the language and don’t face problems in the future.
Currently, basic English is introduced from Class 4 in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, and Tamil medium schools affiliated to the state Education Department.
“We have decided to introduce English from Class 1 in all schools, except English medium ones. Students of Classes 1 and 2 will be given basic knowledge of the language. We want students to get familiarised with the subject and develop listening and speaking skills,” state Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said in the Assembly. There won’t be any textbooks. Only teachers will get guidance material, he said.
Vaghani said the decision to familiarise students with basic English from the beginning is in line with the suggestions made in the new National Education Policy, which emphasises the importance of making students aware of more than one language. The minister emphasised that English is being introduced as a subject in schools, not as a medium of instruction.
“From Class 3, we will introduce English as a full-fledged subject in all non-English medium schools. The focus will be on listening, speaking and writing aspects. We are doing this so that students start learning the language at an early stage and don’t face problems in the future,” he said.
“There will not be any change in the textbook pattern of other subjects. Only Mathematics and Science textbooks will be in Gujarati and English. This will make students aware of English terminologies,” Vaghani said.