Sikkim Government Asks Schools to Introduce 11 Local Languages in Curriculum

Gangtok: The Sikkim government has asked all schools in the state to introduce 11 vernaculars in their syllabus from the next academic session for students to select one as a second language, an education department official said on Friday.

At present, students studying in state-run schools are given the native languages Bhutia, Nepali, Lepcha and Limbu as options for the second language, and seven more would be added to the list.

Private schools will now have to make sure that all 11 indigenous languages, including Tamang, Gurung, Mangar, Sherpa, Mukhia, Rai and Newar, are included as part of the curriculum, the official stated.

"This is for the information to all concerned that the state government has adopted the three-language formula in the following manner to be implemented in all sikkim schools within the state.

The first language, being the medium of instruction, English will be the first language.

The second language will be any one of the state government-recognised 11 languages and Hindi will be the third language," according to a government notification.

The private schools have been told to submit a compliance letter with proper verification to the Director, Exam Cell, for renewal of their provisional registration before the start of the new semester, the official added.

Meanwhile, the Sikkim education department has called a meeting on Friday to address the issues of candidates seeking admission to Sikkim Government B.Ed College at Soreng in West Sikkim.

The Sikkim government reopened all the schools in the state in a graded manner last year in October. Classes were for seven months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The current academic session will end by February 13, 2021, and the next session will begin two days after, on February 15.

Sikkim has recorded 6,024 COVID-19 cases so far, out of which 5636 patients have recovered and 130 passed away. The state currently has 163 active cases.

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