Consider Indian languages as an optional medium of instruction, CBSE tells schools

CBSE urges schools to consider Indian languages as optional medium of instruction, NEP 2020 advocates multilingualism for academic success. NCERT taking steps to prepare textbooks in 22 Scheduled Languages, higher education sector responding to need. Schools must lay foundation for continuity from school to higher education.

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.

The CBSE has advised using an Indian language as an option from pre-primary classes till Class 12. 

“Multilingual education has been widely recognized as a valuable approach to fostering linguistic diversity, cultural understanding, and academic success among students,” Joseph Emmanuel, Director (Academics), CBSE stated in the letter. 

Mr. Emmanuel said the National Education Policy 2020 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. “The policy 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,” the letter said. 

It further enumerated the challenges in the implementation of multilingual education. “The utilisation of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction presents several challenges, including the availability of skilled teachers capable of teaching in multilingual settings, the creation of high-quality multilingual textbooks, and the limited time available, especially in two-shift government schools, as multilingual education demands additional instructional time allocation,” it said. 

Mr. Emmanuel wrote that one of the major steps taken now is the direction by the Ministry of Education to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to prepare textbooks in the 22 Scheduled Languages of the country. “The NCERT has taken this serious task on highest priority so that the textbooks can be made available to all students from next sessions,” he said.

The letter also talked about the steps being taken to introduce textbooks in Indian languages for higher education, facilitate learning-teaching processes and offer exams in Indian languages. “The textbooks in technical education, medical education, vocational education, skill education, law education, etc. are now coming in Indian languages,” it said.