English has been classified as a foreign language and a non-compulsory subject for Classes XI and XII according to a draft curriculum by the State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT) of the Maharashtra government. Currently, English is a compulsory subject for these classes.

The SCERT is seeking suggestions from stakeholders until June 3. The draft curriculum proposes eight subjects for Classes XI and XII: two languages, four elective subjects, and two compulsory subjects.

Of the two languages, one must be chosen from a group of 17 Indian languages, including Marathi, Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Sindhi, Bengali, Punjabi, Pali, Telugu, Ardhamagadhi, Maharashtri Prakrit, and Avesta-Pahalvi.

English is categorized as a foreign language, along with German, French, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Persian, and Arabic. The second language can be selected from either the first or the second group, making English non-compulsory.

The draft also emphasizes education in interdisciplinary areas, focusing on changes due to climate change.

Source: PTI

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