MSBSHE has proposed to change the content heavy Marathi Syllabus
To improve the falling pass percentage and encourage students
to opt for Marathi as their second language in junior colleges, the Maharashtra
State Board of Secondary and Higher Education (MSBSHE) has proposed to change the
'content-heavy' Marathi syllabus to focus on practical application such as conversational
skills and grammar.
The state board is mulling over dividing the subject, offered as a second language
at the junior college level, into Applied Marathi and Marathi Literature. Applied
Marathi will aim at turning students into proficient Marathi speakers. Students
will be free to choose either one of these subjects. "We are waiting for approval
from the state government before introducing these changes. If the board has its
way, we will be ready to implement this from the next academic year (2012-13),"
said S Dhakne, secretary of the state board. Over the past few years, there has
been a downward spiral in the pass percentage for Marathi and also in the number
of students opting for it as their second language at junior college level. In 2011,
the pass percentage of students in Marathi (second language) has fallen to 96.32%,
from 97% in 2010.
"Students, especially from the English medium, find it hard to score more
marks as it requires a lot of rote learning. It is also lacking in practical application.
As a result, every year, we see a fall in the number of students opting for this
subject," said a senior education official.
Courtesy: DNA India
