Speaking on the new National Education Policy, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, in an e-Adda hosted by The Indian Express, said that “one expresses best in her own mother tongue,” which is why mother tongue is set to be the medium for primary education till class 5.
The NEP approved by the Union Cabinet last month replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986. It is aimed at paving the way for transformational reforms in schools and higher education systems to make India a global knowledge superpower.
The Union Cabinet Minister pointed out that according to educationists and researchers, children have the maximum ability to learn between the ages of three and six years. “People are happy that our children will get to study in their mother tongue,” he said.
Countering ‘misconceptions’ that the NEP 2020 is against the English language, Pokhriyal stressed that the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution should be strengthened, else they will perish.
“The US, Japan, Israel, Germany, these are all developed countries, what is the medium of education there? It’s their mother tongue. We are not against any language, learn English too, but we should do justice to the child and his talent,” the Education Minister said at the e-Adda.
“Which state does not want to teach its regional language?” asked Pokhriyal.
“I doubt there would be any state that wants its language to die. Teach in any language that you want; what is the problem with teaching that child ten other languages, children have a lot of potentials to learn," he further added.
Earlier, attacking the NEP 2020, DMK President MK Stalin said that it was an attempt at "imposition" of Hindi and Sanskrit and vowed to fight against it by joining hands with like-minded political parties and Chief Ministers of other states.
School principals have also raised concerns that while teaching students up to class 5 in the mother tongue or regional language will promote multilingualism, students may face difficulties coping up in upper classes where the medium of instruction is English.
(With agency inputs)