The programme funded under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan will be offered free of cost to class IX students.
From next month, the Uttar Pradesh Government will introduce an optional three-month foreign language course in 50 schools in seven districts that attract a large number of tourists.
The pilot project will see the selected schools in Lucknow, Allahabad, Agra, Mathura, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Ghaziabad offer training in at least two of the four foreign languages — French, German, Spanish and Japanese — depending on the number of students applying for the same. The programme funded under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan will be offered free of cost to class IX students.
“The concept is new for government secondary schools in the state. We are starting it on pilot basis in seven districts at present, which are significant from the tourism point of view. The idea is not only to increase the employability options for the students but also to encourage them to take up foreign languages in higher studies also,” said VK Pandey, Additional State Project Director, ‘Madhyamik Rashtriya Shiksha Abhiyan’ in Uttar Pradesh.
The government plans to hire teachers on an honorarium. The estimated budget for the project is Rs 30 lakh. “We have received the government’s approval and will begin the course from August. The idea is a 90-day training programme,” said Sanjay Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Secondary Education, Uttar Pradesh Government.