The Uttar Pradesh education department and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have directed schools to incorporate language learning into summer camps, moving away from conventional teaching methods. This initiative follows CBSE's three-language directive for classes 9 and 10 earlier this year, now extended to children of all age groups.
Bharatiya Bhasha Summer Camp 2026
The Bharatiya Bhasha Summer Camp 2026 aims "to promote the spirit of Learn One More Bharatiya Bhasha through joyful, experiential learning," according to a CBSE notification. The notification does not specify particular classes, stating only that camps will be held for young children. Students are encouraged to choose a second Indian language and build basic conversational skills while developing an appreciation for India's linguistic and cultural diversity.
Objectives Aligned with NEP 2020
The National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes multilingualism to strengthen national integration, cultural understanding, and communication skills. In alignment with these objectives, the camp will be organized across schools during the summer vacation. The state education department's stated goals are similar, and Indian Sign Language has been included as part of the inclusivity push.
Seven-Day Programme Structure
CBSE has detailed a seven-day programme:
- Day One: Introduction to basic greetings, expressions, alphabets, numbers, signatures, and other foundational aspects of the language.
- Day Two: City tours and real-life conversation practice.
- Day Three: Art and culture through music, dance, and painting—students learn names of traditional musical instruments and explore local dance forms and painting styles.
- Day Four: Local cuisines, including names of spices, vegetables, and fruits in the target language.
- Day Five: Culture appreciation, listening skills, and awareness about local heroes, freedom fighters, artists, and other eminent personalities.
- Day Six: Local history and geography, including rivers, mountains, and historical monuments.
- Day Seven: Traditional games, motivation, and programme closure.
Language Selection and School Implementation
Each school may decide the language to be taught based on available teachers and resources, student demand, or languages spoken in neighboring or bordering districts. Schools can choose from 22 scheduled languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and others. Aditi Basu, district president of the All India Principals Association and principal of Grads International School, said, "Our school has chosen Bengali for the summer camp."
Additional Activities by District Administration
Separately, the district administration and sports department have planned a series of events as part of the summer camp programme. The sporting calendar began with a district-level chess competition hosted at Ramagya School in Sector 50, where 235 players from schools and institutions across Gautam Budh Nagar participated. District Magistrate Medha Roopam stated, "Several more competitions have been scheduled between June 4 and 17. These will be organized at different schools and venues across the district."
