- Few experts said that students are able to commune in their mother tongues in a better way and have more clarity of thoughts and understanding in their local languages
“In our country, many children used to leave their studies midway due to language difficulties. The new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has also been helping in eliminating such hardships. It is our endeavour that language should not become a hindrance in the education and progress of any child.” These words by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 108th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on December 31, 2023 made sense.
One of the reasons behind some children giving up on studies is the problem in understanding what was being taught in the school using the English language. This is also a reason why the Central government has been promoting the usage of Indian languages in our education system. Some parents believe that the reason they send their children to school is to ensure they learn everything there by the subject experts which the family would otherwise not be able to teach at home. A few experts opine that students are often able to express themselves better in their mother tongue and have more clarity of thoughts and understanding in their local languages. However, the recent Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 data also shows that about 25 per cent of children in the age group of 14-18 still cannot read a Class 2 level text fluently in their regional language.
While learning the Indian languages/ mother tongue is one of the debates behind the idea of having a school curriculum in Indian languages, another reason is to promote the languages. However, experts and parents believe that while this sounds good on paper, we cannot negate the importance of the global language, English, which often acts as the window to the world. Parents are also apprehensive that the transition from Hindi to English on a global level may put their children at a disadvantage. Experts agree that while the idea behind this is good, the resources to fulfill this NEP 2020 dream are lacking in the country at this point.
