Use of Mother Tongue in Early Stages of Education

CBSE has instructed schools to use educational materials that focus on mother tongue learning and promote multilingual education.

Article 350A mandates the government to ensure children from linguistic minorities are educated in their mother tongue.
Article 29(1) grants any Indian citizen group with a distinct language, script, or culture the right to conserve it.
Section 29(f) of the Right to Education Act aims for instruction in the child’s mother tongue whenever feasible.

Importance of Mother Tongue in Children’s Development

Early mother tongue education fosters understanding, confidence, and a love for learning, aiding in learning new languages.
It enables a deeper grasp of concepts, encourages critical thinking, and strengthens cultural connections.
India is incredibly diverse linguistically, with hundreds of languages spoken across the country. Children learning in their mother tongue, preserve their cultural heritage and contribute to its continuation for future generations.
Language plays a significant role in social integration. Children educated in their mother tongue, facilitate better communication within their community and strengthen social bonds.

The Jharkhand government and UNICEF initiated a pilot programme for multilingual education in 259 schools.
It involved the development of resources and content in the Ho, Mundari, Khariya, Santali and Kurukh languages spoken by Tribals.
Odisha’s government, with UNICEF, created ‘Nua Arunima,’ (New Horizons) a mother tongue-based early childhood education curriculum available in 21 languages.
The National Education Policy 2020 prioritizes familiar language learning until Grade 5, and ideally extends this practice beyond Grade 8.
The policy suggests creating textbooks and related materials in home languages for classroom communication.
The NIPUN Bharat Mission guidelines recommend teaching and developing materials in the mother tongue for the learning process.

In India, a multilingual educational approach that uses familiar languages as a foundation could deliver positive outcomes.
Effective implementation on the ground requires sustained efforts from diverse stakeholders.
Empowering teachers with multilingual training, creating engaging mother tongue-based learning materials, and supporting local language advocacy are crucial steps.