CBSE asks schools to celebrate Sanskrit week

CBSE has asked all its affiliated schools to celebrate 'Sanskrit week' on an experimental basis to popularise and stimulate interest in it and develop apps on the language.
The week will be organised between August 7 and 13 during which students would be encouraged to participate in short speech competitions in Sanskrit, compose short poems and developing apps and games for Sanskrit learning, said a CBSE letter sent to all school heads.
Schools may also organise recitation competition for classes IX to XII and essay competition on Sanskrit for classes IX -XII, it said.
CBSE's Director of Academics, Research, Training and Innovation Sadhana Parashar said the week is being organised every year but the emphasis this year is on use of technology to develop apps for promotion of the language.

The objective is to promote use of technology in learning and creative skills of students to develop apps/games based on enhancing vocabulary, learning numbers and short phrases in Sanskrit, she said.
The letter said the celebration would provide a medium for "popularising Sanskrit" and "stimulating interest in it by increasing awareness about the close relationship between Sanskrit and other languages and cultural heritage of India.

"Sanskrit Week in schools may encourage linguistic creativity among students and provide an opportunity to benefit from the systematic structure of Sanskrit language that may be transferred in giving insights into all language learning," it said.

CBSE has also encouraged the teachers to involve themselves in the activity by to carrying out research activities on establishing links of other Indian languages with Sanskrit. They have been asked to send details of their research with the findings to CBSE for a national level event.
The best entries in each category will be suitably rewarded and certificates may be awarded to students/teams at the national event, the letter said.