State languages learning programme launched in kindergartens

A programme of learning state languages in pre-school institutions will in February be launched in Tatarstan, a meeting on implementing new approaches to teaching the native language in pre-school institutions said today. The meeting, held in the House of Government, was chaired by Tatarstan Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov.

Many people are expecting the issues related to learning the state languages to be resolved, head of Tatarstan government said, opening the meeting. “It is important that we give the youngest Tatarstan residents an opportunity to learn the languages. It is not just a wealth we acquire in our younger years but a good start for the school and university period, so the difficulties children sometime have in learning the state languages in school, seem are easier to them,” I. Khalikov said.

Children aged 4-5 are planned to know 62 words in Tatar and Russian, while in the fourth form their vocabulary should be 1,167 words. The number of words is based on world’s established language teaching practices, the meeting said.

Tatarstan education minister A. Gilmutdinov said training for teachers working in the conditions of bilingualism with the new materials would be arranged. A course including 144 hours for kindergarten educators who do not know Tatar has been designed. Pre-school institutions are planned to be equipped with multimedia projectors, laptops and screens, to apply the devised teaching materials.

The new programme is to be launched in February.

All the previously made proposals will be taken into account, I. Khalikov said. “Educators and parents should take active part in implementing the programme. If there is criticism on their part, it should be taken into account. In general, great work has been carried out. All this should be made available on the ministry’s site, as well as on social networks, since young parents peruse the internet nowadays,” the head of government demanded.