The US is home to more than a million Hindi-speaking Indian immigrants, who have been eagerly anticipating linguistically inclusive classrooms for their kids for years. After all, the day may not be far when Hindi will be exalted to the status of a second language at American schools and when Indian-origin kids will essentially learn Hindi from the elementary school level. California seems to be spearheading this linguistic inclusivity in schools and finally, the most widely spoken Indian language in the US is getting her due.
Two renowned schools – John M. Horner Middle School and Irvington High School in Fremont – are all set to add Hindi as a world language to their curriculum for the academic year 2024-2025 that starts in August. The Indian American community welcomed the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) Board’s pilot program, which came with the promise of expansion to other middle and high schools in the region in the coming years.
“I look at the demand, and I look at the value that this Hindi offering will produce for the community, (and hence) for me, it’s a no-brainer,” said FUSD Board member Vivek Prasad, who voted in favor of the pilot program along with other trustees and board president.
Nearly one lakh Asian Indians have settled in and around Fremont, the epicenter of the Silicon Valley, making it one of the American cities with a growing Indian-origin population. Kids of these Indian immigrant families account for more than 50% of students attending Fremont schools, including Horner Middle School and Irvington High School (where a whopping 65% students are from Indian-origin households).
The scenario is more or less the same in various US cities like San Francisco, New York, Dallas, and Washington DC with the highest concentration of Indian immigrants. Hence, the vast Indian-origin community, whose contribution to America’s economy is significantly higher than any other ethnic group, has been demanding inclusion of Hindi in the US education system for years. As of now, Hindi-language courses are offered at the high school or university level in the USA. Therefore, many Indian families resort to after-school programs for their kids to learn Hindi and foster their cultural connection to the Indian language.
Leading Indian American groups have also submitted a proposal to the US President Joe Biden for teaching of Hindi as a second language in US schools, highlighting its socio-economic impact among other potential benefits. While the proposal is yet to find its course to approval, the latest initiative by the US Silicon Valley schools raises hopes of a favorable outcome in near future, just as the declaration of Deepavali as a public school holiday by New York and other states fueled the hope for Deepavali Day Act enactment – another long-awaited dream of the Indian American community in USA.
