Bengali now compulsory in private English medium schools in West Bengal
The West Bengal cabinet has approved a proposal to make Bengali mandatory as a second language in private English medium schools. An education commission will also be set up to address complaints against private schools.
In a significant move, the West Bengal cabinet has approved a proposal to make Bengali mandatory as a second language in private English medium schools. The decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
A senior official stated, "Though there are options to study Bengali as a second language, most students prefer Hindi or other languages. As a result, students are not learning Bengali properly. Today, the state cabinet decided to change it, and make Bengali compulsory second language in all private English medium schools in the state."
EDUCATION COMMISSION TO ADDRESS SCHOOL ISSUES
The cabinet also gave its nod to set up an education commission to look into complaints against private schools. The commission will be modelled on the lines of the health commission with a retired judge at its helm.
"During the pandemic, we received several complaints about private schools increasing tuition fees excessively. Also, there were complaints regarding syllabus and the way that exams were conducted. This commission will look into all these issues," the official added.
WELCOMING THE DECISION
The decision to make Bengali mandatory as a second language was welcomed by Bangla Pokkho, an outfit working for the promotion of the Bengali language.
Kausik Maiti, the organising secretary of the outfit, said, "People of Bengal have been waiting for this decision for a long time."
NEW DISTRICTS ON THE HORIZON
In another development, the state cabinet approved the formation of a committee that will submit a report to the government in the next three months on the creation of seven new districts in the state.
The districts of Nadia, Birbhum, Malda, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur will be divided to create these new districts.
IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE SET
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has set a 15-day deadline for the implementation of all the decisions of the state government, including those taken by the cabinet.
She has asked officers to submit a report on the implementation to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
(With PTI inputs)
