The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a directive to its schools, encouraging the use of Indian languages as optional mediums of instruction to promote multilingual education. The move comes as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy, 2020, where the Ministry of Education and the National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) have been actively working to introduce education in multiple languages.
CBSE Director (Academic), Joseph Emmanuel, urged affiliated schools to consider using Indian languages listed in Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution as an optional medium of instruction from the foundational stage to the end of the secondary stage (from pre-primary classes to class 12). He emphasized the importance of utilizing available resources, seeking expert guidance, and collaborating with other schools to ensure the successful implementation of multilingual education.
However, the board acknowledged the challenges involved in implementing multilingual education, such as the need for skilled teachers capable of teaching in multiple languages, creating high-quality multilingual textbooks, and addressing time constraints, especially in two-shift government schools.
To address these challenges, the NCERT is committed to making textbooks available in 22 scheduled languages for all students starting from the next academic sessions. Higher education authorities have also started offering education in multiple languages and conducting exams in different languages. Technical, medical, vocational, skill, and law education textbooks are now being made available in Indian languages.
CBSE emphasized the significance of schools becoming the foundation of multilingual education, as higher education is already responding to the need for language diversity. They stressed the importance of continuity in the medium of instruction from school education to higher education. The board believes that CBSE-affiliated schools play a pivotal role in contributing to this endeavor by offering education in Indian languages.
The direction by the Ministry of Education to NCERT for preparing new textbooks in 22 scheduled Indian languages is a major step towards achieving this goal. The NCERT has prioritized this task to ensure that all students have access to textbooks in their respective languages from the upcoming academic sessions.
