In a first for California, two government schools in Silicon Valley would be introducing Hindi as a world language in its school curriculum.
The decision to introduce Hindi as an optional subject was welcomed by the large Indian American community at Fremont who have been seeking to have their children learn Hindi in schools. Fremont has one of the highest concentrations of Indian Americans in California.
The Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) Board voted 4-1 vote on January 17 to launch a pilot programme that will see Hindi in the curriculum of Horner Middle School and Irvington High School for the 2024-2025 school year that starts in August.
Indian Americans make 65 percent of the student population in Horner Middle School and Irvington High Schools. The district has a total of 29 elementary school campuses, five middle school campuses, and five high school campuses.
During the meeting, FUSD board members Vivek Prasad, Sharon Coco, Larry Sweeney, and President Yajing Zhang showed strong support for the proposal, citing the welfare of students as a major factor in their decision, a media release said.
"I look at the demand, and I look at the value that this Hindi offering will produce for the community ... for me, it's a no-brainer," said Trustee Vivek Prasad, endorsing the pilot.
"If this is successful and if other schools want to offer Hindi, they will be able to in the future... so at this moment in time I'm in favour," was the response of Trustee Sharon Coco, highlighting her commitment to the student community of FUSD.
"I'm positive that it (pilot) will go to all high schools and all middle schools, and they will embrace it," stated Trustee Larry Sweeney in support of the proposal.
"Who do we serve?" asked President Yajing Zhang, "Students! And so do we serve the students' interest if there is huge evident demand for this class?" Yajing Zhang said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Accused In Protest At Allu Arjun's Home Linked To Revanth Reddy, Alleges Opposition
What OpenAI Whistleblower Suchir Balaji Revealed About The Dark Side Of AI Before Death "You Guys Are...": Indian-American Family Faces Racial Slurs At Los Angeles Airport Exclusive: What American Diplomat Said On Attacks At Indian Consulates In US Bengaluru Techie Loses Rs 11.8 Crore After "Digital Arrest" 'Was Ahead Of His Time': Professor On Trump's Indian-Origin Pick For AI YouTuber Zara Dar Quits PhD To Become Adult Content Creator 21 Cybercriminals Arrested For Duping People Of Rs 125 Crore: Police Parts Of Delhi Face Water Shortage As Ammonia Levels Rise In Yamuna Navy's Warship INS Tushil Docks In London On Maiden Operational Deployment Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.