Maharashtra schools to introduce bilingual books in Marathi Medium schools from next academic session

Maharashtra government will introduce bilingual textbooks in Marathi middle schools from next academic session. The decision has been in the works since August 2020 and started on a small scale to test the effectiveness of this program. The Maharashtra government is now ready to implement this in schools across the state.

The state’s Education Minister, Professor Varsha Gaikwad, tweeted yesterday: “We are committed to introducing integrated and bilingual textbooks in all Marathi Middle Schools from the next 1st Std school year. From. Discussing the readiness of the initiative with senior ministry officials today”.

The deployment of bilingual textbooks will take place in selected schools and only in class 1 for the moment. Based on the success of the project, the rollout of these textbooks will expand to all schools in Maharashtra.

“I have previously asked Balbharti to provide high quality textbooks that display English text alongside Marathi words and phrases, so children can learn basic English vocabulary, grammar and syntax. A pilot is already operating successfully in 488 model schools in the state,” Minister Gaikwad added.

The textbooks will be designed in such a way that the students can easily understand the English definition, routine words, concepts, easy English synonyms for Marathi words and phrase usage.

The main purpose of introducing bilingual textbooks has been to reduce the weight of the schoolbag and simultaneously clear the concept of the English language in the minds of vernacular students. This decision will benefit students the most, as they find it difficult to switch from their native language to English when it is time to enroll in higher education. This process will make it easier for students to switch from one language to another.