Bengal's New Education Policy Mandates Students Learn 3 Languages in Classes 5-8

The recent educational directive from the West Bengal government stipulates that students in grades 5-8 will be required to learn three distinct languages, with Bengali being designated as the primary language, according to an official statement on Tuesday. At the primary level, two languages will be taught, with one being the student's mother tongue, as explained by the official who detailed the policy cleared by the state cabinet on Monday.

The official elaborated that students in the 5th to 8th grades will be expected to study three languages, with the third language option encompassing regional or foreign languages. While this third language can include a local dialect, a regional language, or even a foreign language, preference will be given to Bengali, Sanskrit, or Hindi. The primary aim is to ensure the teaching of Bengali to the youth of West Bengal, the official emphasized.

In response to inquiries about the implementation timeline of this trilingual policy, the official mentioned that it would be introduced gradually, occurring in phases. Providing further insights into the policy, the government official explained that the structure would retain the current educational divisions, with four years allocated to primary education and four years to upper primary education, followed by two years each for secondary and higher secondary education.

Expounding on the policy's details, the official highlighted the adoption of a semester system for classes 8 through 12, which would be introduced progressively over a span of three years.