Uttarakhand: Folk languages will be included in the curriculum of government schools, textbooks are being prepared
Folk languages of Uttarakhand, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari and Ran will be part of the curriculum. In the first phase, text books related to Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari and Rang are being prepared by SCERT. After this, other folk languages will also be included in it in a phased manner.
On the last day of the five-day workshop organized at the Directorate of Academic Research and Training, Director Vandana Garbyal said, the folk languages of Uttarakhand are a part of the cultural heritage here. Under the National Education Policy 2020, children have been asked to learn through mother tongue at the basic level. In the first phase, text books are being prepared for classes one to five.
Additional Director SCERT Ajay Kumar Naudiyal says that through text books of folk languages, children will get an opportunity to connect with their cultural roots, their literary talent will also develop. Expressing concern about the extinction of folk languages, he said, these books will be helpful in connecting children with their folk languages. Joint Director Asha Rani Panuli said, having folk language based text books as part of the curriculum will develop cultural sensitivity in children and they will be able to express their thoughts in their mother tongue.
Effort to increase enthusiasm for mother tongue writing among children
Assistant Director Dr. Krishnanand Bijalwan emphasized on making the reading material of the book attractive and interesting. Dr. Nandkishore Hatwal said, books should be written according to child psychology. Workshop coordinator Dr. Shakti Prasad Simalti and co-coordinator Sohan Singh Negi said that through these text books, the enthusiasm for writing in the mother tongue will increase among the children. Dr. Umesh Chamola as an expert in Garhwali language, Dr. Deepak Mehta for Kumaoni, Surendra Aryan for Jaunsari and Abha Fakliyal for Ran contributed in the workshop.
Dr. Avneesh Uniyal, Sunil Bhatt, Gopal Ghughatyal, Dr. Alok Prabha Pandey and Sohan Singh Negi worked as coordinators for writing class-wise books. The writers group of Garhwali language includes Dr. Umesh Chamola, Girish Sundriyal, Dharmendra Negi, Sangeeta Panwar and Seema Sharma and the writers group of Kumaoni language includes Gopal Singh Gaida, Rajni Rawat, Dr. Deepak Mehta, Dr. Alok Prabha and Balwant Singh Negi. Whereas Mahavir Singh Kaleta, Hemlata Nautiyal, Mangal Ram Chilwan, Chatar Singh Chauhan and Dinesh Rawat contributed to the Jaunsari language writing circle. Asha Dariyal, Shweta Hyanki, Rajni Pachyal and Abha Fakliyal worked for writing in Ran language.
