Mother Tongue-Based Education In India: Constitutional Provisions, NEP 2020 & NCERT Initiatives

Source: PIB
GS II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Why in the News?

The Ministry of Education informed Parliament about measures being taken to promote mother tongue-based education through constitutional provisions, NEP 2020, and curriculum reforms.

News in Brief

• The Union Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening multilingual education as a key component of school education reforms and inclusive learning.
• Digital technologies and language-focused initiatives are being leveraged to expand the reach of educational resources across diverse linguistic communities.
• The Centre continues to support States and Union Territories in implementing language-related educational reforms within the broader framework of the National Education Policy.

Key Highlights

Constitutional Provisions 

• Article 350 A of Indian Constitution – States that “It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.
• Section 29(2)(f) of Right to Education Act, 2009 provides that “medium of instructions shall, as far as practicable, be in child’s mother tongue”.

National Education Policy (NEP), 2020

• • NEP 2020 recommends that the home language/mother tongue be the medium of instruction at least until Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, in both government and private schools.
  • Encourages bilingual teaching-learning materials and classroom practices where students’ home language differs from the medium of instruction, ensuring quality education in all languages.
  • Calls for the development of high-quality textbooks in Indian languages, including science textbooks.
  • Promotes multilingualism while ensuring all languages are taught effectively.

NCERT Initiatives for Multilingual Education

• In line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, NCERT developed the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), 2023 and introduced new textbooks for Grades 1–9.
• To promote multilingual education, NCERT has translated textbooks for Grades 1, 2, 3, and 6 into all 22 Scheduled Languages, while 368 of 460 textbooks for Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8 have also been translated and made digitally available.
• NCERT provides academic support and teacher training for implementing multilingual pedagogy, curriculum reforms, digital learning, and holistic assessment
• It has developed multilingual learning resources such as Jaadui Pitara, e-Jaadui Pitara, Anand (Balvatika Activity Book), and Unmukh (Teacher Trainer’s Handbook) to strengthen foundational learning in 22 Scheduled Indian Languages.

Technology & AI for Multilingual Education

• DIKSHA: Serves as the core national digital platform under “One Nation, One Digital Platform,” connecting all 36 States/UTs, CBSE, and NIOS with QR-coded textbooks and content supporting 135 languages.
• NISHTHA: A massive professional development program for teachers and school leaders hosted on DIKSHA in up to 11 Indian languages.
• Language Primers: 121 foundational literacy primers developed with CIIL and the Central University of Odisha, accessible via NCERT and DIKSHA.
• AI Module Translation: AI-assisted translation of modules like Navchetna, New Criminal Laws, and Chandrayaan into regional Indian languages.
• Bhasha Sangam: A dedicated page on DIKSHA offering conversational phrases and videos for multilingual learning.

Federal Approach to Multilingual Education

• Since Education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the respective State/Union Territory (UT) Governments and its agencies may develop suitable curriculum in regional languages as per the local needs and demands, in accordance with the spirit and recommendations of the NEP, 2020.

Significance and Challenges

• Improves foundational learning and cognitive development.
• Preserves India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
• Promotes inclusive and equitable education.
• Enhances literacy through technology-enabled multilingual content.
• Strengthens implementation of NEP 2020.

Challenges

• Shortage of trained multilingual teachers.
• Limited availability of quality learning resources in some languages.
• Diverse linguistic landscape complicates uniform implementation.
• Hard to balance native speech with job-ready global English.

Way Forward & Conclusion

• Strengthen multilingual education by expanding quality learning resources in Indian languages, enhancing teacher capacity, and leveraging digital technologies to ensure effective implementation of NEP 2020.
• Promote cooperative federalism through greater Centre–State collaboration to develop region-specific curricula while preserving India’s linguistic diversity and improving equitable access to quality education.

Key Takeaways

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements:

1. Article 350A of the Constitution encourages instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage for linguistic minorities.
2. NEP 2020 recommends the mother tongue as the medium of instruction preferably up to Grade 8.
3. Education is exclusively a State List subject.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a)

Mains Practice Question

Q. “Mother tongue-based education improves learning outcomes while preserving India’s linguistic diversity.” Discuss the constitutional provisions, policy initiatives, and challenges in promoting multilingual education in India.

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