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Promotion of Mother Tongue-Based Education in India

UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Polity

PolityEducationSociety

Why in news

The Press Information Bureau has highlighted the constitutional and policy framework promoting mother tongue-based education. This is significant as it aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and the Right to Education Act, emphasizing early learning in home languages.

Background

Article 350A of the Indian Constitution mandates that states provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary level to linguistic minority groups. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 also support mother tongue-based education.

Key facts

in5points

  1. Article 350A of the Constitution requires states to provide mother tongue instruction at the primary level for linguistic minorities.

  2. NEP 2020 (para 4.11) recommends that the medium of instruction should be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language at least till Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.

  3. This applies to both government and private schools.

  4. High-quality books in home languages, including science, should be made available.

  5. Teachers should adopt a bilingual approach, including bilingual teaching-learning materials.

  6. Section 29(2)(f) of the RTE Act, 2009 states that the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in the child's mother tongue.

  7. NCERT has translated textbooks for Classes 1, 2, 3, and 6 into all 22 scheduled languages and made them available digitally.

  8. Out of 460 textbooks for Classes 4, 5, 7, and 8, 368 have been translated and made available digitally.

  9. NCERT has developed teaching-learning materials like 'Jadui Pitara' and 'e-Jadui Pitara' for Balvatika 1-3 in multiple languages.

  10. NCERT has developed foundational learning resources 'Anand' and 'Unmukh' in 22 scheduled Indian languages.

Prelims pointers

  • Article 350A
  • National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
  • Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009
  • Section 29(2)(f) of RTE Act
  • National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023
  • National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022
  • NCERT
  • DIKSHA platform
  • Balvatika 1-3
  • 22 scheduled languages

Mains angles

  • Discuss the constitutional and policy framework for mother tongue-based education in India.
  • Critically examine the implementation challenges of mother tongue instruction in a multilingual country like India.
  • Analyze the role of NEP 2020 in promoting linguistic diversity and early childhood education.
Promotion of Mother Tongue-Based Education in India — UPSC Polity · in5points