Mumbai: The state government has formed a committee to provide Marathi language education to students of classes 1 to 5 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan.
In January last year, the state government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private institutions to give children from Marathi-speaking families an opportunity to learn their language and culture. The aim behind this is to enrich the language and culture among the younger generation of Maharashtrians living abroad.
A core committee has been formed to coordinate with the UK Marathi Board (Board) to prepare the curriculum at the basic level for UK students. The textbooks will be produced by the state textbook bureau Balbharati and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will prepare the paper for the examination. Students will take the exam in class V. Which will be evaluated by the state board. Students who successfully complete the curriculum will be awarded a certificate. This will ensure that students get quality education in Marathi language and culture.
Similarly, the state government has partnered with Edogawa India Cultural Center and Tokyo Marathi Mandal of Japan to encourage children from Marathi-speaking families to learn Marathi. The state government will train teachers from the country and 20 per cent changes will also be allowed in textbooks. Care will be taken to adapt the curriculum to the local context while retaining the core elements of Marathi language and culture. This initiative is likely to be implemented from next year.
The state government has clarified that, according to the circular, no expenditure will be incurred by them on this initiative. The committee will meet online once a month to monitor the progress of this initiative. Members of the participating institutions will also be part of the committee.