Rajasthan to teach local dialects in government schools

Jaipur: Rajasthan has launched a multilingual education initiative in government schools to make learning more engaging by incorporating local dialects into classroom teaching, officials said.

To bridge the gap between home and school language, the project will teach students to use commonly spoken local words, such as ‘ladu’, ‘rotlo’ and ‘moto bapo’ instead of the standard Hindi terms, Shweta Phagediya, Director, Rajasthan State Council of Educational Research and Training (RSCERT), said.

The programme will initially be implemented in 11 districts before being expanded across the state in phases, she said.

The officials said surveys conducted across districts identified more than 30 dialects, with ‘Wagdi’ and ‘Mewari’ among the most widely spoken by the students.

The initiative, supported by UNICEF and other organisations, has already been piloted in select schools in Dungarpur and Sirohi districts, where the use of local languages improved student interest and comprehension, the officials said.

According to them, student attendance in these schools increased from 58 per cent to 66 per cent, while basic reading and writing abilities also showed a significant improvement.

The education department has developed workbooks, storybooks and activities in 11 local languages for the smooth implementation of the programme.

Following the initial rollout, the programme will expand to other districts based on linguistic needs, the officials said.