Article 350 A of Indian Constitution states that “It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.

The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 at para 4.11, inter-alia, provides that it is well understood that young children learn and grasp nontrivial concepts more quickly in their home language/mother tongue. Home language is usually the same language as the mother tongue or that which is spoken by local communities. Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language. Thereafter, the home/local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. This will be followed by both public and private schools. High-quality textbooks, including in science, will be made available in home languages/mother tongue. In cases where home language/mother tongue textbook material is not available, the language of transaction between teachers and students will still remain the home language/mother tongue wherever possible. Teachers will be encouraged to use a bilingual approach, including bilingual teaching-learning materials, with those students whose home language may be different from the medium of instruction. All languages will be taught with high quality to all students.

Section 29(2)(f) of Right to Education Act, 2009 provides that “medium of instructions shall, as far as practicable, be in child’s mother tongue”.

As a follow-up to the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), 2023, in line with the vision and recommendations of the Policy. Subsequently, pursuant to the NCF-SE 2023, NCERT has developed and introduced new textbooks for Grades 1 to 9. In order to provide support to the States/UTs for promoting multilingual education, NCERT has translated textbooks for Grades 1, 2, 3, and 6 into all 22 Scheduled Languages, and these have been made digitally available. Further, of the 460 textbooks for Grades 4, 5, 7, and 8, a total of 368 have already been translated and made available digitally.

NCERT has been providing academic support and training to states, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) and other school system regarding curriculum development, teacher training on new textbooks & digital technology, TLM, pedagogy and holistic assessment.

NCERT has developed teaching-learning material for Language Education including textbooks mapped with Curricular Goals, Competencies and Learning Outcomes as given in NCF-SE 2023 to facilitate the process of teaching learning and assessment in Indian Languages. For Balvatika 1, 2 & 3, NCERT has developed teaching -learning material viz. Jaadui Pitara and e-Jaadui Pitara, which are available in different languages.

In line with the NEP, 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022, NCERT has developed foundational learning resources such as Anand (Balvatika Activity Book) and Unmukh (Teacher Trainer's Handbook), in 22 Scheduled Indian Languages.

Further, in order to promote multilingual education and preserve India's linguistic diversity, in line with the NEP 2020, NCERT has undertaken following initiatives with support of technology-enabled solutions especially in translation of curricular resources by the use and integration of technology and AI:

i. Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is the national digital platform for school education, providing high-quality digital learning resources and QR-coded Energised Textbooks (ETBs) across all grades under the vision of "One Nation, One Digital Platform." DIKSHA is adopted by all the 36 States and Union Territories, as well as central autonomous bodies and school education boards, including Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). DIKSHA can be accessed by learners and teachers across the country and currently supports 135 languages, 128 Indian languages and 7 foreign languages.

ii. National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA): The Ministry of Education has launched NISHTHA, a large-scale holistic programme to enhance the professional competencies of teachers and school leaders across the country with a view to improving the overall quality of school education. The programme is implemented across all States and Union Territories through face-to-face, online and blended modes of training. The online courses are hosted on the DIKSHA platform and are available in 11 Indian languages, depending on the programme.

iii. Development of Primers in Indian Languages: In collaboration with Central University of Odisha, Koraput, Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, NCERT has developed primers for foundational literacy in scheduled and non-scheduled Indian languages. A total of 121 primers have been launched by the Ministry of Education and are available on NCERT Website and DIKSHA.

iv. Translation of Educational Modules: NCERT has translated Navchetna, New Criminal Laws, Chandrayan modules into several Indian languages using AI-enabled translation technologies, making them widely accessible through digital platforms.

V. Bhasha Sangam on DIKSHA: A dedicated Bhasha Sangam page on DIKSHA, provides multilingual learning resources in the form of videos and basic conversational phrases for learning-teaching in 22 scheduled Indian languages.

vi. Promotion of Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav: A nationwide 75-day Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav was conducted from September to December 2023 to encourage language learning and cultural integration through the use of regional languages and technology.

vii. Bhartiya Bhasha Summer Camp: Bhartiya Bhasha Summer Camp is being organized under the aegis of Ministry of Education from last two years and promotion of Multilingual education is being done in 22 scheduled Indian languages. In this event, participation of students, teachers and community in large numbers has been recorded.

These initiatives reflect the commitment of GoI/NCERT to ensuring equitable access to quality education in learners' native languages while leveraging technology and AI to scale multilingual educational content across the country.

Further, since Education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the respective State/Union Territory (UT) Governments and its agencies may develop suitable curriculum in regional languages as per the local needs and demands, in accordance with the spirit and recommendations of the NEP, 2020.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Education Shri Jayant Chaudhary, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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