Emphasising the importance of multilingual and inclusive education, Anandrao Patil, joint secretary, department of school education and literacy, said initiatives such as the development of primers in languages like Ahirani, Santhali, and Toda, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to translate content into multiple languages will help students in tribal areas learn in their mother tongue.
Patil said the 2025 edition of the festival was organised in Bhopal in January followed by Pune, associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who resolved in his childhood to establish “Hindavi Swarajya”. (HT)
Patil inaugurated the 11th National Kala Utsav, an annual event to promote cultural education and provide students a platform to showcase their artistic talent, at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada) on Saturday.
Addressing students, Patil said arts play a pivotal role in achieving the dream of a developed India. He said the 2025 edition of the festival was organised in Bhopal in January followed by Pune, associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who resolved in his childhood to establish “Hindavi Swarajya”.
Education commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh advised students to participate actively in both sports and arts.
Jyotsna Tiwari, head, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), said that over the past decade, 7,318 students from various states have participated in the Kala Utsav.
The inauguration also featured a short film showcasing the journey of the National Kala Utsav over the last ten years,
Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP), Patil said, “NCERT has done commendable work in developing new textbooks from Classes 1 to 8, with textbooks for Classes 9 and 10 currently under preparation.”
Patil also spoke about the Vidya Samiksha Kendra, a transformative initiative aimed at assessing infrastructure and human resource requirements across schools, and highlighted the DIKSHA portal as a key digital learning platform offering e-content in 128 languages, with plans to introduce AI-enabled content in 22 languages.
Patil recalled the contributions of Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule, pioneers of modern Indian education, and urged girls to remember and honour their legacy.
