Language experts meet in Mysuru to finalise books for Navodaya Vidyalayas

The Hindu

2 days ago

The National Testing Service-India (NTS-I) of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, is organising the second and final phase of the five-day national level workshop on the Finalisation of Language and Cultural Handbooks for Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), from June 23 to 27, at CIIL here.
The workshop, inaugurated on June 23, marks a significant milestone in promoting linguistic and cultural education in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, according to NTS-I.
Shailendra Mohan, Director, CIIL, inaugurated the workshop in the presence of P.R. Dharmesh Fernandez, professor-cum-Deputy Director, CIIL, and Pankaj Dwivedi, Officer-in-Charge, NTS-I and coordinator of the workshop.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Mohan highlighted the significance of the academic collaboration between NVS and CIIL, which aligns with the vision of NEP-2020 to promote multilingualism and cultural literacy among young learners. 'The initiative is a step towards strengthening national unity through a better understanding of India's cultural and linguistic richness.'
Mr. Dwivedi gave a detailed overview of the workshop's objectives and the structure of the handbooks, and emphasised that the content has been carefully designed to nurture inclusivity, foster mutual respect, and celebrate the diverse heritage of India.
The handbooks will enable students to appreciate and connect with the cultures of the regions they are posted to, thereby fostering harmony and a shared national identity, he noted.
The initiative aims to finalise 16 language and cultural handbooks, and NTS-I has prepared 16 books on the cultural components of scheduled Indian languages for the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) for classes 6, 7, 8, and 9 studying in Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country. The languages covered under the workshop include Kannada, Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Garo, Gujarati, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Santali, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, a press release said.
The release said the workshop brings together 29 eminent resource persons, including scholars, researchers, and educationists from AIISH, RIE, CIIL, NTS-I, Mysuru, central and state universities, and renowned colleges across India. 'These experts bring in deep knowledge of language, literature, culture, and pedagogy related to the 16 languages represented,' the release added.
The key focus areas of the workshop include ensuring content accuracy, pedagogical value, and contextual relevance, promoting inclusive and respectful cultural representation, avoiding stereotypical or biased portrayals, enhancing readability, comprehension, and learner engagement, assessing psychological and educational appropriateness for the target age group, integrating multi-model learning elements, including illustrations and visual aids, and evaluating the comprehension level, readability, coherence, and presentation style of the content, the release said.
'The five-day workshop is a crucial component of CIIL's broader mission to preserve and promote India's linguistic and cultural diversity. The finalised handbooks will serve as essential tools for enhancing cultural understanding and linguistic appreciation among Navodaya students, ultimately contributing to a more unified and inclusive national identity,' according to NTS-I.