Remembering a visionary...152 years on
In 1873, 152 years ago, Dharmarathnakara Rai Bahadur Arcot Narrainsawmy Mudaliar, known as the 'merchant prince of Bengaluru' founded the first free English primary school in Bengaluru on Commercial Street. In the following decades, Mudaliar would go on to start many more institutions focused on serving low income, first-generation learners from marginalised caste-class backgrounds for whom the barriers to accessing an education were sky high, including one for girls. It is to celebrate him and his vision that RBANM's educational charities hosted their Founder's Day celebrations on May 14, held at the newly-renovated Sabha, Kamaraj Road, which was once an RBANM school.
Advocate and RBANM's secretary Arvind Narrain, walked an audience of Mudaliar's family members, staff from RBANM's institutions, and other guests through the founder's journey of establishing schools, orphanages, and technical institutes at the 'high noon of colonialism'. Narrain said, 'The founder himself did not know English but understood the importance of an education in English. It [his institution] was the first place where Indians could learn English,' Interestingly, the first principal was social reformer and freedom fighter Bipin Chandra Pal, who was associated with the Brahmo Samaj. 'Brahmo Samaj encouraged the education of women, campaigned for widow remarriage and was against the system of caste. In terms of his vision, the founder wanted a principal who embodied that way of thinking about education being for all people,' added Narrain.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
MLA urges NGO to extend support in upgrading govt. schools
Chamarajanagar MLA C. Puttarangashetty on Friday said that NGOs should extend cooperation and support in revival and upgradation of government schools. Speaking at the inauguration of a newly constructed school building of the upgraded Government Higher Primary School in PWD Colony, he said that government has taken the initiative to upgrade schools, and this should be supported by NGOs. The school has been adopted and supported by Basava Rajendra Medical Trust. Ramachandraraje Urs, Deputy Director of the Department of Public Instruction, said many initiatives such as Nanna Shaale, Nanna Koduge (My School, My Contribution), have been launched, and alumni continue to contribute to improve amenities at schools. The official said the enrollment in the school was 62 in 2021–22, which rose to 119 in 2022–23 and 210 in 2023–24. In the current academic year 2025–26, 320 children have been enrolled, he said. The school, which earlier had classes from 1 to 8, will now be extended from LKG to 9th standard. It will have class 10 in the next academic year, said Mr. Urs. The Basava Rajendra Medical Trust has provided eight classrooms, a school vehicle, a borewell, furniture, books, uniforms, and computers to the school. The school will be developed in to a model school, he said. M. Basavarajendra, managing director of the trust, said that donation alone will not suffice in upgradation of schools, and the need of the hour was its proper utilisation. He said it is important to learn English, along with Kannada. 'In today's world, learning other languages, along with the mother tongue, is necessary for professional life. Hence, facilities should be provided to teach English in government schools,' said Mr. Basavarajendra. Members of the School Development Management Committee were present.
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Indian Express
CBSE mother tongue policy should be implemented through dialogue, not diktat
As of May, the Central Board of Secondary Education has released approximately 30 academic circulars and numerous examination, affiliation and miscellaneous documents. These include assessment guidelines, teacher training programmes, student enrichment activities, curriculum updates and policy implementation. Educators are now grappling with the latest, mandating the implementation of mother tongue-based instruction in the foundational and preparatory stages of schooling. From the Kothari Commission (1964 to 1966) to the National Policy of Education (1968), the Yashpal Committee (1993), National Curriculum Framework (2005, NCF) along with UNESCO, NCERT and numerous global developmental psychologists and even the National Education Policy (2020) have all highlighted the importance of mother tongue-based learning in foundational years (three-eight years). The NCF 2023 directed schools to make the process more structured and explicit, and align it with global best practices. Several studies show that children learn best when taught in their home language because it brings emotional security and concept retention. In fact, it has been argued that learning in an unfamiliar language disconnects the child from real-world experiences, reduces classroom participation and often delays understanding. In places where tribal languages or dialects have been set aside, this step can pave the way towards linguistic equity and educational justice. This is an aspirational policy, but the learning ecosystem is fragmented. In order to implement it in letter and spirit, all stakeholders will have to be involved. Schools can create a language policy after surveying the home languages of their students. With schools mapping language groups and deciding on bridge programmes by allocating resources and teachers accordingly, parents can make an informed choice. In heterogeneous schools, using the mother tongue is not about enforcing one language, it's about embracing linguistic plurality and making children visible. In order to respond through a balanced strategy, parents have to be informed that both the NEP and the NCF support additive bilingualism with strong foundations in the home language along with systematic learning of English. If the mother tongue is positioned as the foundation and English layered in contextually, it will become a bridge. Across socio-economic strata, Indian parents see English-medium education from the foundational years as the key to success. For some, mother-tongue instruction feels regressive. There will be an aspirational mismatch because the mindset behind English-medium education has been driven by media, advertising and peer pressure. Teachers will be left to mediate between parental anxiety and policy mandates, without support or community engagement. Teachers may themselves feel overwhelmed by the push towards mother tongue-based multilingual instruction, especially in heterogeneous English medium schools. Most teachers are trained to teach in English or Hindi, or their regional language and English, not in pedagogical strategies or multilingualism. Handling multiple languages without lesson plans can be difficult for them. Assessment also offers challenges in evaluating learning across languages, especially when tools are monolingual. Teachers are expected to manage language equity, curriculum delivery and concept clarity without training, material, or time. Support, not imposition, is the way forward, if we want multilingualism to become a strength, not a burden. A teacher may speak the mother tongue fluently but may not be able to explain concepts pedagogically in that language. He or she may lack academic vocabulary or age-appropriate phrases. They may not know how to create learning materials or assess learning in the language. Unless they are trained to teach the language, the instruction will not succeed. Parents, too, need to be made partners in this transition. It is important to give them a roadmap of how children will transition in reading and writing fluently in both their mother tongue and in English. A greater load has been added without reducing academic responsibilities. Planning for a multilingual class requires more time, in addition to the regular work that teachers do. If we want children to learn with joy and meaning, then their teachers must be supported with empathy, time and trust. The policy has to be a dialogue, not a diktat. Mother tongue-based education is a vital tool in addressing the global learning crisis. In order for it to succeed, the CBSE and state education departments must move beyond circulars and compliances to systemic support, or the gap between policy and practice will widen. Schools should be given a two-to-three-year transition window starting with oral exposure, creating classroom levels for language mapping, developing multilingual lesson plans, differentiated assessments, resource kits and teaching aids. Oral and non-verbal rubrics that measure conceptual understanding need to be created. Experienced multilingual resource persons should conduct workshops for teachers of foundational years because they need to be partners in reform. A common instructional language should be chosen, while the mother tongue can be taught through songs, stories, language activities, traditional games, audio libraries and AI-driven technologies. Urban schools, especially in metros, are an example of India's internal migration and cultural plurality. Classrooms include children who speak a variety of mother tongues — Malayalam, Bengali, Tamil. Marathi, Kannada and others — within the same learning space. This linguistic landscape calls for context-sensitive handling rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The policy has great potential but without clarity in execution, it will become merely symbolic. The benefit of the mother tongue in the foundational years can only be realised with the help of supportive parents and trained teachers, who will design it not merely as a linguistic shift but a reimagining of childhood and learning. The writer is chairperson and executive director, Education, Innovations and Training, DLF Foundation Schools and Scholarship Programmes
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
SSC JHT recruitment 2025 application begins: Register online by this date, check direct link here
The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has opened the application window for the SSC Junior Hindi Translator (JHT) Recruitment 2025. This recruitment drive offers opportunities for candidates aiming to secure government jobs in language translation and related roles across various ministries and departments. A total of 437 vacancies have been announced for posts including Junior Hindi Translator, Junior Translator, Senior Hindi Translator, and others under Group 'B' Non-Gazetted categories. The application window will remain open until June 26, 2025. Interested candidates must meet the required eligibility criteria, including specific educational qualifications and age limits, before applying. The selection process includes two written papers followed by document verification and a medical exam. SSC JHT 2025 Important Dates Aspirants can check SSC JHT application schedule here: Application Start Date: June 5, 2025 Last Date to Apply: June 26, 2025 (11:00 PM) Last Date for Online Fee Payment: June 27, 2025 Application Correction Window: July 1–2, 2025 Who is eligible to apply? Candidates who are interested in applying for SSC JHT recruitment examination must fulfill the following eligibility criteria: Age Limit: 18 to 30 years as of August 1, 2025. Age relaxation is applicable as per government norms. Educational Qualification: Master's degree in Hindi with English as a compulsory or elective subject, or vice versa. Alternatively, a Master's degree in any subject with Hindi and English as compulsory or elective subjects. SSC JHT Application Process 2025 The application process for SSC JHT recruitment 2025 will be conducted in online mode. Check steps to apply here: One-Time Registration (OTR): Candidates must complete the OTR on the SSC's new portal at . Online Application: After OTR, fill out the application form and upload necessary documents, including a real-time captured photograph and signature. Fee Payment: Pay the application fee online. Direct link to apply for SSC JHT recruitment 2025 After submitting the application form, candidates are advised to download the acknowledgement slip for future reference. For detailed information about SSC JHT recruitment 2025, visit the official SSC website. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
