100+ Maharashtrian students from abroad clear spl Marathi test

Mumbai: Over 100 Maharashtrian students from the US, Canada and Denmark qualified in the first-ever special Marathi language comprehensive assessment test conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Open Schooling. Students from class 1-8 took the examination and secured qualification in the subject, with the maximum (67) coming from the US. Of the 103 students, the highest number (28) was in class I.This special language instruction and certification came about from a memorandum of understanding signed between the Brihan Maharashtra Mandal North America (BMMNA) and the education department of the state of Maharashtra last year. The idea was to teach Marathi language formally to the children of non-resident Maharashtrian parents. About 60 schools from the USA, Canada and Denmark offered the special programme curated by the state's board. Sharad Gosavi, chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said, "This programme started last year after the BMMNA reached out to us as they wanted their native language taught formally to their children." Speaking on how these exams were conducted, Gosavi said, "We gave a three-day programme to local Maharashtrian teachers who are passionate about wanting to teach Marathi. We used Balbharati textbooks to develop the curriculum for them. The exams were conducted this May. We prepared model question papers for them and the exams were held offline just like any other subject they might have." Gosavi said parents of the children were very keen to start teaching their native tongue to their children properly with a formal curriculum and exams. "We stepped in to make the whole exercise official," Gosavi said, adding that he expects more expatriate Maharashtrians to take up the subject.