Teach us the fun way

Raj Thackeray has demanded that Marathi be compulsorily taught from Standard I in all city schools. Sure, Mumbaikars tell Speak Up, but teach it so children learn to love the language, not dread it

Mumbaikars are natural polyglots
I believe that the more languages a child knows, the better it is for him/her. Vinoba Bhave, a scholar and writer, knew several languages. People living in Mumbai know at least five languages—to converse in—and they learn it effortlessly. There is their mother tongue; Marathi and Hindi are compulsory in school; and finally they pick up the language in which most of their neighbours converse. Then from Standard VII onwards many schools offer French as an option. Mumbaikars may not know all these languages very well but at least they are familiar with the basics and can communicate effectively in them.

I don't think learning multiple languages is a problem for children. They grasp information well and are open to learning anything new. I think the problem is with the teachers and the teaching. It's a good idea to introduce languages at an early age. I will tell you about my personal experience: my wife is a Punjabi and I am a Marathi. From the time he was a toddler, my son has been fluent in three languages. He would speak to me in English, in Hindi with his mother and in Marathi with his paternal grandparents. Difficulty in learning a language rarely has anything to do with a disability. The fault lies in the manner in which it is taught. If you make the learning interactive and fun, and not scholarly, Marathi can be learnt easily at any age.
—Dilip Raote.  Commentator

Most children lose touch with Marathi in later life
I'm a Maharashtrian and have a strong background in Marathi. But I don't want my son to start learning Marathi from Standard I itself. He is in Standard III and has just become familiar with the alphabets. It would be tough for both him and me to handle yet another language at school. It is a better idea to start in Standard IV or V. Spoken Marathi can be taught to children through simpler means such as plays, poems, and songs. People living in Maharashtra should learn Marathi and give the language the respect it deserves. Also allow children who have a flair for languages to choose Marathi as an option at higher levels. What happens now is that most children learn Marathi in school and forget it by college. 
—Soniya Potdar. Parent

Multiple languages at 6? Sounds like a nightmare
I don't think it is possible to introduce Marathi from Standard I. Children are already grappling with English at that stage and then to introduce Marathi as well?

Unfortunately, Marathi is not used widely in Mumbai. Children get to hear much more Hindi and English around them. In that case to learn a language they have no connection with would be tough for non-Maharashtrian children. This does not make me anti-Maharashtrain as per Raj Thackeray's thinking. Does every resident of Bengaluru know Kannada? I say this from personal experience: learning multiple languages can be a nightmare for children. In my daughter's school, Utpal Sanghvi, Marathi is compulsory from Standard IV onwards and it should that way.  
  —Dimple Jhaveri. Parent

If English is okay at 6, why not Marathi?
Teaching Marathi is compulsory from Standard III in all state board schools. Students have to learn the language till they are in Standard X. I don't think teaching Marathi from Standard I will be a problem for either the schools or the students. The syllabus can be customised to reduce pressure on the students. Most students in my school are Gujaratis and their parents have problems with their children learning the language. Students whose parents are in transferable jobs might find it tough but if then they would face that problem in any state. In Marathi medium schools, English has been made compulsory from Standard I. So why should it be tough to start Marathi from Standard I in English medium schools?
 —RS Udupa. Principal, SVDD Secondary Eng Medium School

Tough for those who move cities often
I came to this city a few months ago from Delhi. My father is in a transferable job and I sought admission to a CBSE school so that I did not have to learn Marathi. It would have been difficult for me at this stage in school to learn an unfamiliar language. My overall percentage would have suffered if I tried. Making Marathi compulsory from Standard I would be unfair to students such as me. Mumbai has migrants from every corner of the country. If you do not hear the language at home, how will you learn it? I move schools often and it would be tough for me to become proficient in multiple languages. Why insist on Marathi from those who don't intend to settle in the city? It is only fair that we be given an option.
 —Sudhanshu Kumar. Student

Start a second language at the age of 8
Marathi is introduced from Standard III in most schools in Maharashtra. This is just the right age to introduce a second language to a child from a non-Maharashtrian family.

Besides, children living in Maharashtra are exposed to the language often outside their homes. So it would not be a problem for them to grasp Marathi at that age. There are problems with introducing Marathi from Standard I. Children from Maharashtrian families will of course manage without any trouble because they hear it all the time at home, between parents, siblings and grandparents. But it might be a little difficult for children from non-Maharashtrians homes.

Students shouldn't be over-burdened with studies when they are just six. At that age they should be allowed to enjoy themselves even during the learning process. There is one more point of view to this debate: inspite of the fact that English is not the mother-tongue of Indians, it is compulsorily taught as the first language in all schools. Then why should we have problems with introducing Marathi as a second language? But if Marathi has to be taught to very young children then it should be taught in an interactive, engaging manner. Children can be slowly drawn towards to the language by teaching it to them through poems and other engaging forms. Traditional teaching methods at that age would be really boring for the children and would put them off the language. 
 —Ravinder Gargesh. Head of Linguistics department, Delhi University