PUDUCHERRY: A recent circular from CBSE directing schools to implement National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE 2023) will effectively remove French as a language option in schools in the Union territory of Puducherry, a former French enclave.The new rules mandate that students study three languages (one foreign and two Indian) starting Class VI. The choice made in Class VI will be their elective options for Classes IX and X. The medium of instruction in all schools here, barring three (French medium), is English. Hence, the students must now choose two Indian languages. Similar is the situation in CBSE schools across the country, yet when it happens in Puducherry where people cherish their French connection, it causes much heartburn.The board, in a circular dated April 9, asked the schools to implement the changes under the new rules and upload the details to the CBSE portal. All govt schools in Puducherry and several private schools in the territory are affiliated to CBSE.“The move is a direct attack on Puducherry’s unique cultural identity,” said Puducherry State Students and Parents Welfare Association president V Balasubramanian. “Former PM Jawaharlal Nehru said Puducherry is the window of French culture. The Treaty of Cession signed between India and France in 1956 vowed to preserve French as an official language and continue French educational curriculum/ judicial institutions.”A section of parents-students welfare associations representatives said Puducherry may have to revert to the Tamil Nadu State Board or establish a board of its own to escape the CBSE language policy.An official said Puducherry faced similar issues almost a decade ago when TNSB made Tamil compulsory until Class X. “Students in Puducherry, who had opted for French or Hindi instead of Tamil, struggled when TNSB made Tamil the compulsory second language. The Puducherry govt wrote to TNSB outlining the relevance of French education in Puducherry. The Tamil Nadu govt and the board conceded to Puducherry’s request. We will write to CBSE citing similar reasons,” the official said.Condemning NCFSE, Puducherry opposition leader and DMK convener R Siva termed the move a “deceptive attempt to impose Hindi” and a direct attack on Puducherry’s unique cultural identity. He said DMK would organise a ‘language rights protest’.
