20-07-2025
Amid language row, students in this Kolhapur rural school learn Japanese, German, Russian too along with Marathi, English, Kannada & Hindi
Kolhapur: This school, located along the Maharashtra-Karnataka border in Kolhapur rural, is helping its students rise above local language politics and get a head start in global competition.
All students here are taught English and Marathi. However, those interested can also take up foreign languages, including Japanese, German and Russian in higher classes. Located barely 18km from Kolhapur city, students of this school get compulsory Hindi lessons from Std V. Kannada is also an option for students of Std V and above.
The founder of the school has trained his teachers in foreign languages at the foreign language department of Shivaji University, Kolhapur.
For the past four years, the students of the school have been learning to read, write and speak these foreign languages. They also appear for written and oral examinations conducted by the school to monitor their progress.
Shirish Desai, founder of Anant Vidyamandir, Pattankodoli, said the aim is to help students learn multiple languages and make them more eligible for higher studies and jobs. The school is a Jain minority institution.
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Located close to the border, students here need to know Kannada as well. Therefore, this language is also taught.
Prerna Khot, a student in Std VIII, has opted for German, hoping to work in Germany one day. "Initially, it was tough to remember the pronunciations of the alphabet, numbers, pronouns, and proverbs. However, like any other language, I worked on the challenge by practising and speaking with my friends and family.
I made it a habit to say 'good morning' and other simple phrases in German. Now I am attempting to frame full sentences.
Besides, I take the help of the internet to learn the language. Learning a foreign language has helped me improve my memorising capability too."
She was taught simple verbs such as drink, eat, go, stay, and pronouns such as I, they, we, him, and she. "I learned numbers 1-20 in German. Now I am learning higher numbers, which are very similar to numbers in Marathi.
This was a surprise. For example, when we say 21 in Marathi, we say 1 (ek) 20 (vees); similarly, in German, we say 'ein-und-zwanzig' (eins is 1 and 20 is zwanzig)," said Prerna. Prerna also plans to learn Japanese in Std IX.
"While applying for jobs in multinational companies, the resumes of our students, who know multiple languages, will stand out. It will help them secure employment more easily. Their resumes will have more weight than the resumes of applicants who know only two to three languages.
The internet has brought the world together, but knowledge of international languages, besides English, is very important, and my students have easy access to that knowledge," said Desai.
The school founder said choosing to learn a foreign language is optional and not mandatory. "We have developed elementary books for each of these languages. The tests are based on those books. The orals are conducted, and the students who show keen interest are rewarded every year," added Desai.
Currently, 58 students are enrolled for German classes, 49 for Russian, 30 for Japanese and 50 for Kannada. Twenty-five students are also learning the Modi script.
