Malayalam will be compulsory at primary level, says Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State government will initiate punitive action against schools which do not teach Malayalam as a compulsory subject at the primary level, Education Minister M. A. Baby has said.

The government will create a mechanism to monitor compulsory teaching of Malayalam till standard four. When standard five becomes part of the primary school as per the new Central education policy, compulsory teaching of the mother tongue will be extended accordingly. The government would soon issue orders in this regard, Mr. Baby said.

He was delivering the presidential address at the State-wide inauguration of �Pravesanotsavom (Induction festival) held at the Government UPS, Azheekode, in Aruvikkara grama panchayat near here.

When the LDF government assumed office in 2006 there was no official directive on the compulsory teaching of Malayalam in schools. The Department of Education rectified this shortcoming. In schools with linguistic minorities the respective mother tongue should be compulsorily taught.