For many native students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, the prospect of learning their mother tongue Malayalam was dim until last year. In an effort to level this gap, a Malayalam learning camp was organised in the school on Monday.
Inaugurating the five-day camp ‘Amma Malayalam,' Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi secretary V. Ramdas said that students could only benefit from learning their mother tongue. Such platforms were necessary to introduce the students to the basic lessons in learning the language and to create in them a love for their mother tongue, he said.
In this camp, conducted for students of classes 1 to 5, the teaching session has been divided into two sections. In the morning session, titled Amma Malayalam, eminent Malayalam teachers, poets, critics, and important personalities from the cultural field will interact with the students. They would also share with children the importance of learning their mother tongue and the need to love and cherish the language.
In the afternoon session, students will be given training for writing and reading Malayalam. Teachers will impart these skills among the students who have been grouped based on their level of knowledge about the language. The students will also be trained to read newspapers and short stories in order to improve their language.
Apart from this, a study tour titled ‘Gandhi Darshanam' to Gandhi Bhavan has been organised for the camp members jointly by the PTA and Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi. According to the co-ordinator of the camp Jayalakshmi Krishnan, a number of students across the Kendriya Vidyalaya in the State have been expressing their wish to learn their mother tongue when they are residing in the State.
“Parents had also expressed their eagerness to send their children to such camps. The State government should consider providing a certificate course for students so that they can be educated about their native language and culture,” said Ms. Krishnan.
Students of these Central government schools are confident in English and Hindi. But many, whose mother tongue is Malayalam, are not getting any opportunity to learn it. As many as 250 students have registered for the camp.
