An expert committee set up by the HRD ministry has recommended that textbooks be made available in Sanskrit in a bid to promote the ancient language as the medium of instruction in the country.
A 13-member expert committee was constituted by the Smriti Irani led HRD ministry on Sanskrit to revive interest in the ancient Indian classical language. The expert committee is headed by former chief election commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami. He is currently the chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (RSV) in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
“There are a number of Vedic and Sanskrit pathshalas where traditional Sanskrit literature is taught. When the students want to appear for Class 10 or 12 through open schools they find it difficult as they are more comfortable in Sanskrit as a medium of instruction. We have recommended that textbooks should be made available in Sanskrit for subjects such as Mathematics, Science among others. This will also ensure growth of the language,” Gopalaswami told HT.
Some of the other key suggestions of the panel include that the teaching of Sanskrit should be carried in Sanskrit itself and not in any other language. The committee has also said that collaborative research involving the wealth contained in the ancient language treatises and modern sciences should be encouraged. “Teachers need to be trained in conversational Sanskrit too, which is not the case so far,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Some of the other key suggestions of the panel include that the teaching of Sanskrit should be carried in Sanskrit itself and not in any other language. The committee has also said that collaborative research involving the wealth contained in the ancient language treatises and modern sciences should be encouraged. “Teachers need to be trained in conversational Sanskrit too, which is not the case so far,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Another key suggestion of the panel is that students should be given the choice to learn the language as per a three language formula, which is implemented in several schools. As per this formula, many schools provide the option to learn English, mother tongue and a third language of their choice.
It has also been suggested that the treasure contained in Sanskrit manuals on various subjects such as Ayurveda, science of construction or other areas should be made online. Another key recommendation is that collaborative research involving the huge database of knowledge contained in Sanskrit manuals should also be encouraged.
The manuscripts in Sanskrit that have been digitized should also be made available in electronic and print form, the committee has recommended.