GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government has made it mandatory for all schools in the state to teach Gujarati language to their students, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said on Tuesday.
Making the announcement in the Assembly, Chudasama said: "Irrespective of the board they are affiliated to, including the CBSE, ICSE, IB, CISEC or IGCSE, teaching Gujarati will be mandatory for every school in the state.
"To familiarise the students of the state with Gujarati language, the government has decided to make it a mandatory subject in classes 1 to 8," he told the House.
According to Chudasama, the decision would come into effect from the coming academic year starting June. For those schools where the new academic year has already started, the decision will implemented from the second term of the year.
Keeping in mind that the decision does not put students to sudden inconvenience, initially Gujarati will be taught as an introductory language in classes 1 and 2. "Gradually we will take this initiative forward with the help of educationists and experts."
It was observed that students studying in mediums other than Gujarati in the state were unfamiliar with the language, "so in the interest of the language and our culture, we have taken this decision", the Minister added.