India Post News Service
Fremont, CA:Â – In a groundbreaking decision, the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) School Board has voted overwhelmingly in favor of introducing Hindi as a world language into its curriculum. This momentous vote marks a significant milestone for education in California. FUSD now stands as the pioneer, becoming the first public school district in California to offer Hindi as part of its educational offerings.
The FUSD School Board voted 4 to 1 to launch a pilot program that will see Hindi in the curriculum of Horner Middle School and Irvington High School for the 2024-2025 school year. This visionary decision has been met with great enthusiasm and support from the Indian-American community, which make up nearly 65% of the student population in these two schools. The room in which the vote took place resounded with excitement as the community rejoiced in the fulfillment of a long-fought battle for cultural representation and a more inclusive education.
The battle to include Hindi in the FUSD curriculum started almost two decades ago. During this time, while paying no heed to the ongoing requests for Hindi and ignoring the growing Indian American population, FUSD adopted Mandarin in two schools, continued to offer multiple other languages, including French, Spanish, and Japanese, and created both Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs for elementary and middle school students.
However, as this inequity in language choices for Indian American kids became more evident, the agitation in the community grew. Irvington High School, which is over 73% Asian American and has a very significant population of Indian Americans, has two Chinese teachers, five Spanish teachers, and one French teacher, but not even one teacher to teach an Indian language. FUSD had funded and implemented immersion programs in both Mandarin and Spanish for younger kids before a South Asian language was even considered.
Kids who wished to learn Hindi had the option of taking the course outside for college credit; however, this option carried a cost of thousands of dollars and a significant time commitment outside of school from already overwhelmed students.
The demand for Hindi as a part of the in-school curriculum was evident. In December 2023, community members conducted an outreach campaign to assess interest in Hindi for the following school year, with an initial focus on just the Irvington attendance area. The response was remarkable, but unsurprising.
Over 500 students from across Fremont expressed strong interest in registering for Hindi at various levels. Numerous Fremont schools had a sufficient number of students to support multiple full-time teachers.
In response to community demand, FUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack and his team presented a detailed proposal in the January 17th school board meeting to offer Hindi Level 1 at two Fremont schools as a pilot. If successful, all other Fremont schools would be able to adopt Hindi for the following school years.
The proposal to offer Hindi faced concerns raised under the guise of equity, sidelining the wellness of some students because of a perceived inequity to others. These arguments failed to convince a majority of the board trustees. 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.
“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 favor” 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?” President Zhang additionally applauded the superintendent and the staff for doing the necessary groundwork and laying out thoughtful options that facilitated the decision.
This decision has sparked the attention of parents and students across California who are eager to replicate this in their districts. As FUSD embarks on this historic journey, the community commits to ensuring the success of the pilot. The decision reflects FUSD’s dedication to a student’s-first approach and positions the district as a guiding light for others across California.
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