Why is it in the news?
- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a circular instructing schools to prioritize teaching children in their mother tongue, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2022.
| · NEP 2020 advocates for mother tongue education until at least Grade 5, preferably extending to Grade 8
· NCF 2022 recommends mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction for children up to eight years of age.
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More about the news
- Article 350A mandates states to provide primary education to linguistic minority groups in their mother tongue, while Section 29 of the Right to Education Act, 2009 emphasizes the use of mother tongue as far as possible.
- Importance of Mother Tongue Education: Enhances cognitive skills, improves learning outcomes, facilitates comprehension of complex subjects, empowers learners to express themselves confidently, and fosters better communication between teachers and students.
- Challenges: Resource allocation for materials and teacher training, difficulty in standardizing curriculum, and the challenge of transitioning to English-medium higher education.
| Initiatives taken to Promote Education in Mother Tongue
India: · National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programs promote teaching in mother tongue, regional language, and home language. · Additionally, initiatives like the development of entry-level primers tailored to various mother tongues and local languages spoken across India have been launched by organizations like NCERT and the Indian Institute of Languages. Global: · International Mother Language Day (21st February), initiated by Bangladesh and recognized by UNESCO in 1999. · The Yuelu Proclamation by UNESCO for the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity.
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