NEP 2020 Language Instruction Guidelines
NEP 2020 recommends teaching students in their home language or mother tongue up to Grade 5, preferably up to Grade 8, to enhance their understanding of complex concepts.
Research shows that children between the ages of two and eight can learn languages quickly, with multilingualism benefiting cognitive development.
The NEP encourages bilingualism, with a focus on the mother tongue alongside English, helping young children better grasp academic content.
Findings from AISES
According to All India School Education Survey (AISES), the percentage of schools using the mother tongue as the medium of instruction has declined from 92.07% to 86.62% between 2002 and 2009.
Rural areas have a higher proportion of schools (87.56%) using the mother tongue as the medium of instruction compared to urban areas (80.99%).
This trend indicates a growing challenge in maintaining linguistic diversity in education across different regions.
Three-Language Formula
The NEP 2020 revises the 1968 three-language formula by offering flexibility, ensuring no language is imposed on any state.
It encourages the inclusion of languages like Sanskrit, classical languages (e.g., Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam), and even non-Indian languages (e.g., Pali, Persian) as part of the curriculum.
To support mother tongue learning, the NEP calls for high-quality educational materials, including science textbooks, to be available in regional languages.
Digital books in 104 languages and dialects were released by NCERT in 2024 to support the learning process.
Foreign Languages in Education
NEP 2020 introduces foreign language options like Korean, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, and Russian at the secondary school level to broaden linguistic exposure.
Aimed at enhancing global connections, students can choose one Indian language and one foreign language in Classes 11 and 12.
COMMENTS