The Central Board of Secondary Education is poised to introduce Mandarin Chinese in class sixth from April next year "in view of China emerging as one of the major global economies and Mandarin being spoken by a large population of the world".
It has already written to schools in this regard. Education minister Kapil Sibal had mooted the idea almost two months back on his visit to China.
"The general objectives will be to enable the learner to communicate effectively and build proficiency in the skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking in Mandarin Chinese," said Vineet Joshi, CBSE chairman. The emphasis will also be on building sensitivity and awareness regarding China's culture and traditions.
CBSE's methodology is based on a multi-skill, activity-based, learner-centred approach. Aural oral teaching and testing are integral features of the teaching process.
"Care is taken to fulfil the functional (communicative), literary (aesthetic) and cultural (sociological) needs of the learner. In such a situation, the teacher will be the facilitator of learning and will present language items, contrive situations
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