Mother Tongue/ Regional language as medium of instruction up to 5th standard

 Mother tongue / Regional language as medium of instruction up to 5th standard

As per the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) union government of India  made, Mother tongue/Regional Language shall be the medium of instruction for all students up to 5th standard mandatorily and students are encouraged to continue the same medium up to 8th standard.

This is an excellent and far-reaching initiative to ensure all round development of budding citizens at that tender age. Conversing in mother tongue is  such a natural  practice in development of every individual and it plays key role in laying the foundation of learning system even before the formal school education starts as we know. If the kid  with such foundation/orientation  gets the opportunity to gain the basic education in this native language as the formal medium of instruction in schools,  it reduces  the pressure/burden on the kids significantly, making the process of elementary schooling a truly  friendly affair.  

In the current practice, where there is  no such mandate to impart elementary education in one’s mother tongue/regional language, majority parents are opting for English as the medium instruction right from Nursery level and brining in a major change in the way one need to interact with others right at that tender state of their mind. There has been a growing fascination on English language skills among majority sections of Indians  which is actually adding  invisible loads of stress and hesitation /confusion to those budding minds thus making the entire process of learning as a big troublesome or painful experience to some kids. 

Further, according to numerous scientific studies, it is established that fully grown-up human even after mastering multiple languages actually comprehends and organizes his/her thoughts and scripts in his /her native language in the mind which would be expressed in a different language based on audience. We see many situations in the real world, when someone expresses any spontaneously it would be invariably in his/her native language as there is no time/intent to present it in a different language. Such deep is the impact of Mother tongue on one’s  phycology.

Hence this NEP 2020 is brining such a refreshing change to the way the elementary education  and it is a welcome move by all means.

Where ever kids of a certain mother tongue are migrated to a different region where majority spoken language is the local regional language, there kids would get the opportunity to mingle with all localities in that regional language thus will  acquaint  necessary conversational skills informally and easily. Hence even if the medium of instruction in the schools would be in that specific local language, it should not be a major challenge for them to cope up.

In the recent past there are interesting judgements form the high court of Andhra Pradesh and further endorsed by the hon. Supreme Court of India on  Government of AP’s Gazette notifications making English  as the only medium of instruction in all government run schools in AP. These Gezette orders are in direct violation of  NEP 2020 and also in violation to the fundamental right of education. There was stiff resistance form many walks of public to the government’s move to make English as only the medium of instruction and not even offering any options for parents to choose from. The matter reached the High court of AP and the Said Gazettes were dismissed summarily. Upon appeal to Hon. Supreme Court of India, the same judgement of high court of AP has been upheld and the government of AP had to take back the orders to pave the pat for NEP 2020. This  can be certainly mentioned a landmark judgment  to ensure the spirit and benefits of NEP 2020 on this critical improvement  that is long delayed already in independent India’s educational evolution.