The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Make Malayalam compulsory: panel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 27, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Make Malayalam compulsory: panel

Special Correspondent

Malayalam should be the medium of instruction at the nursery level and two periods should be set apart in primary schools.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The expert panel headed by poet O.N.V. Kurup, constituted to study the feasibility of setting up a ‘Malayalam Mission’ to promote use of Malayalam among non-resident Malayalis, has suggested compulsory use of Malayalam at the primary level.

The committee, in its report submitted to the government on Wednesday, said Malayalam should be the medium of instruction at the nursery level and that at least two periods should be set apart in primary schools with English as medium of instruction for teaching Malayalam.

There must be an examination for Malayalam in such schools and pass in the examination must be made mandatory for promotion to the next class, the expert panel said.

The panel, which had poet Sugathakumari, playwright Pirappancode Murali and teacher Ezhumattoor Rajaraja Varma as its members, also wanted establishment of centres of Malayalam learning in Chennai and Mumbai by June this year.

The government must earmark Rs.1 crore in the budget for taking up activities connected with the Malayalam Mission.

The Mission, the committee felt, could start certificate, diploma and higher diploma courses in Malayalam in centres of learning to be set up under the aegis of the Malayalam Mission.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala