Frequently Asked Questions

Palo Alto - Friday July 16th at 5:30 pm at 3981 El Camino Real (Keys Middle School)

Registration Process - Students planning to join the program must submit an application/registration form to MBK Language Center before August 15th.

Q - How can parents be sure about the approval and credits by Fremont Unified School District?

A copy of the page is posted here from FUSD Board of Education meeting on May 23rd, 2007 when this item was approved by the board for Hindi I, Hindi II and Hindi III as World Language, and indicates the UC approval.

Palo Alto Unified School District has approved the transfer of credits as an elective.

Madhu Bhasha Kendra is now WASC accredited for Hindi I, Hindi II and Hindi III, and working with UC System for program approval. Students, from Districts where transfer of credits is not yet approved, will receive a transcript from Madhu Bhasha Kendra for their Hindi Language Program.

Classes are usually held after-school at one of the schools in the area. In Fremont classes are held at Mission San Jose High School on Wednesdays from 3:30-5:45pm and weekend classes are scheduled at 43006 Christy Street in Fremont. See Class Locations.

Classes for Saratoga and Cupertino students will be held at West Valley College on Mondays and Thursdays, and Palo Alto students will meet on Tuesdays and Fridays at a location TBD.

Q - My child has been learning Hindi at home or with another organization. Does he or she have to start with High School Hindi I?

Curriculum for High School Hindi is in line with other World/Foreign Languages taught in High Schools in California. In general students are able to learn a lot faster and more aggressively as they mature. Some studies indicate that 2-3 years of High School level program is equivalent to 1 year of college level course, and 2-3 years of elementary level language study is equal to 1 year of High School program. Students can submit an application by August 15th to be tested for their proficiency of Hindi Level. Students will be tested in Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension (audio and Video), presentational skills on a topic at their level, and writing skills. There is a $40.00 testing fee.

We have highly qualified teachers, but we are not required to find credentialed teachers. Teachers are required to meet MBK standards and go through MBK Training program. You can visit the link to 'Our Team' for more details on each team member.

Q - How can the teachers be credentialed for Hindi?

Currently there is no system in place for qualified teachers to get credentialed for Hindi language in California. Generally a CSET exam (California Subject Examination for Teachers) is required to prove subject proficiency, and this needs to be set by an authorized agency. This can cost between $150,000-200,000. Until community is ready to lobby for this, and raise this issue, this might take a very long time.

Q - Why wouldn't the district offer a class in Hindi as against letting a private institution offer it?

Districts must hire credentialed teachers for any course work they offer. Until we can convince the California Board of Education to approve funding for a CSET exam for Hindi, we will not be able to see Hindi language courses as part of school offered courses. .

Q - Do you have approved books and curriculum?

We did not have to get the books approved, only the curriculum.

I have reviewed a few books that are available in the market. A group of us is currently working on putting material together for our first batch of middle and high school students. Mr. Arun Prakash of Houston, Texas has published a book for Hindi I and Hindi II for High School students, and we do use this book for at least our first year program.

Introduction to Hindi Grammar by Usha Jain of UC Berkeley and Intermediate Hindi Reader by Usha Jain is used heavily in Hindi II and Hindi III along with other material from Tulika Books Publishers and internet resources.

Intermediate Hindi Reader and Advanced Hindi Grammar by Usha Jain of UC Berkeley along with other internet resources will be used for Hindi IV program.

MBK Language Center is a non-profit organization. There is no State or Federal funding available for these classes right now, and the organization is incurring expenses for teacher salary, facility rental, insurance, marketing, planning, hiring, teacher training, and much much more. Fees collected are used to cover these expenses.

The curriculum or course of study was approved by FUSD Board of Education in Board meeting on May 23rd. We have been running this program since 2007-08 school year in Fremont, and students who have taken the class did get it posted on their transcripts.

Q - Can I take Hindi for Foreign Language Credit in place of the foreign language courses offered through my school?

Yes, the three year course of study for Hindi I, Hindi II and Hindi III offered by MBK Language Center is accredited by the UC System and FUSD Board of Education. Curriculum for Hindi IV is under review by Fremont Unified School District and UC System for approval, but has received initial approval from Dr. Duarte Silva, Executive Director of CLTA and Vasudha Dalmia and Usha Jain of UC Berkeley.

The community response has been very positive. It took a lot of time, effort and paperwork to get to this stage, and we expect to make it a success for everyone. Once a batch of students starts this program with MBK, we will take the batch through completion of at least 3 year program.

These classes are for every one. We are hoping to work with federal institutions like FAFSA for student grants. For those in need of financial help, write to the director of language programs Madhu Aggarwal to discuss your options.

Teachers are carefully selected for this program, and are required to meet the state and district standards for teaching as a substitute. There is no credential program or standard test in place right now for qualified teachers to prove their knowledge and proficiency in Hindi, but selected teachers are getting training and guidance from experts in this field. All elementary and secondary school teachers of MBK Language Center continue to attend seminars and workshops offered by STARTALK program and ACTFL. Most teachers have attended a 4 day workshop in Oral Proficiency Interview offered by American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (www.ACTFL.org). All MBK Teachers are also required to attend a summer workshop to share their thoughts and ideas for effective and well planned lessons.

Have a question? Please write to Madhu Aggarwal, Director of Language Programs at MBK.

Madhu Aggarwal wrote the curriculum outline for three year program with help from Dr. Duarte Silva, Executive director or California Language Teacher Association. Curriculum was also reviewed and approved by Mrs. Usha Jain, professor of Hindi at UC Berkeley, and by Mrs. Gyanam Mahajan, professor of Hindi/Urdu at UCLA. Per request from our first batch of students, we have started the process to add Hindi IV also.

Madhu is part of a ten member team writing National Standards for Hindi Language for a chapter to be added to 'National Standards for Foreign Languages in the 21st Century' published by American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language.

Madhu has been teaching Hindi in Fremont since 1987, and has been offering Hindi as an after-school program in the Bay Area Schools since 1999.