Gujarat government to mainstream sanskrit in schools under 'Mission Gurukul Yojana'

The government, in the Budget, has made a provision of Rs 10 crore for the scheme. This will strengthen 37 Sanskrit pathashalas to encourage interested students to join Sanskrit education, the state government’s brief on education states.

Working in line with the central government thrust on Sanskrit education and red flagging the declining number of 'Sanskrit Gurukuls’ in the state by the newly formed Gujarat Sanskrit Education Board, the Gujarat government has planned to mainstream Sanskrit in the schools as well as streamline the existing Sanskrit education system in the state under a new scheme ‘Mission Gurukul Yojana’.

The government, in the Budget, has made a provision of Rs 10 crore for the scheme. This will strengthen 37 Sanskrit pathashalas to encourage interested students to join Sanskrit education, the state government’s brief on education states.

“Compared to other states, the number of Sanskrit gurukuls in Gujarat is declining speedily. With the push from the sangathan, the scheme for protection and revival of the ancient Gurukul system has been announced by the state government,” Samskrita Bharati Gujarat Sangathan Mantri Himanjay Paliwal said.

In June 2020, the cabinet gave nod to National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NEP announced after 34 years aims to make way for large-scale transformational reforms in education on foundation pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability. The NEP 2020 also stressed multilingualism as a force for national integration, provides for the introduction of Sanskrit at the foundation stage, which covers primary school students, and goes on to recommend the language as a subject till university level.

While the new policy retains the long-in-force three-language formula, it provides for it to be implemented from grade 3 through grade 12 instead of the previous system where it was introduced between grades 6 and 8.

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