Following to a feedback that Bengali was not being offered as an option in many schools and realizing the importance of teaching the native language, Partha Chatterjee, Cabinet Minister in West Bengal government told in a press conference that it will be mandatory to learn Bengali by all students in all schools. The schools affiliated to other boards (ICSE/CBSE) will have to make Bengali as an optional subject from class 1, giving students the option to choose it either as second or third language.
He also added that, if a student selects either Hindi or English or Gurumukhi or Urdu or Ol Chiki or Nepali as his first language, he needs to pick up two other languages and one of these two languages should be Bengali. He further mentioned that separate legislation will also be considered, if the state cabinet decision was not enough.
A historian and writer Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri said that many schools do not have Bengali in their curriculum the state’s initiative was appreciated and commendable.