Educators and community leaders have come together to discuss the future of Gujarati language in British schools amid a significant fall in GCSE entries.
The National Gujarati Education Conference for Leaders & Teachers 2026 brought teachers, school leaders and language specialists to the Navnat Centre in Hayes, Greater London, on September 19.
MP for Harrow West, Gareth Thomas, hosted the event as part of a campaign he began last year to support and revive Gujarati teaching in UK schools. New figures highlight that the number of students taking GCSE Gujarati has fallen by 44 per cent over the past decade.
Thomas also highlighted the wider importance of maintaining language skills as the UK’s relationship with India continues to develop. He said: “Given the world we are in and the importance of India as a country for Britain to do business with going forward.
“It makes sense for Britain to try to build up its understanding of India. Gujarati is, without a question, one of the key ones.“
Thomas pointed to schools such as Avanti, where Gujarati is taught as part of the core curriculum, as a model others could follow.
Harrow has one of the largest and highest-density concentrations of Gujarati Hindus and people of Indian heritage in the UK.Thomas said hearing the language being spoken so frequently drew him to the campaign.
Thomas spoke to Eastern Eye and confirmed that there were several reasons for the huge drop. Rising costs, difficulty in finding affordable premises and the impact of the pandemic were the main problems he said.
While the problems are deep rooted, the event was a success. Turnout was higher than previous events organised, which reflected the growing recognition among teachers that they must work together.
On the event, Thomas said: “It was great to bring together so many local people, Gujarati schools and teachers, alongside participants from across the UK, to share ideas and discuss the future of Gujarati language in education.
