Use any Indian language as optional medium, says CBSE

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has written to all its affiliated schools stating that they may consider using Indian languages as an optional medium of instruction in addition to other existing options.
• It advised using an Indian language as an option from pre-primary classes till Class 12.

The National Education Policy 2020

• It emphasises the significant cognitive advantages of multilingualism for young learners, particularly when they are exposed to several languages from the foundational stage, with a specific focus on their mother tongue.
• It strongly advocates for utilising the home language, mother tongue, local language or regional language as the medium of instruction whenever feasible, at least until Grade 5, but preferably extending till Grade 8 and beyond

Challenges

• The availability of skilled teachers capable of teaching in multilingual settings
• The creation of high-quality multilingual textbooks
• The limited time available, especially in two-shift government schools, as multilingual education demands additional instructional time allocation

Steps Taken

• The Ministry of Education has directed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to prepare textbooks in the 22 Scheduled Languages of the country.
• Various steps are also taken to introduce textbooks in Indian languages for higher education, facilitate learning-teaching processes and offer exams in Indian languages.

Prelims Takeaway

• National Council of Educational Research and Training
• The National Education Policy 2020