Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government launched the 'Malayalashree' project, aimed at providing students in oriental schools the opportunity to study Malayalam as their mother tongue, alongside Sanskrit and Arabic.

The initiative was inaugurated by Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty on Tuesday, who emphasised that denying children the right to learn their mother tongue is akin to distancing them from their own culture and heritage. He said the government was addressing this longstanding injustice through the new project.

Although the project had received government approval in 2011, it was never fully implemented. The present government, the minister said, has realised the scheme with determination.

Under 'Malayalashree', students from 38 oriental schools across nine districts in Kerala will now be able to study Malayalam alongside their existing curriculum, according to an official statement quoting the minister.

The syllabus has been prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), based on equivalency textbooks from the Literacy Mission, ensuring alignment with recognised academic standards.

Public examinations for Malayalam will be conducted in the current academic year itself for Classes 7 and 10. A total of 2,105 Class 7 students and 2,445 Class 10 students are expected to appear for the exams. While the Class 7 examination will be conducted by the Literacy Mission, the Class 10 examination will be overseen by the Pareeksha Bhavan.

Oriental schools are state-run or aided institutions focusing on traditional subjects such as Sanskrit and Arabic, and the 'Malayalashree' project marks a significant step in integrating regional language education into their curriculum.

PTI