Multilingual Education and India

It's always good to see that around World Literacy Day extra articles are coming out to promote the value of literacy, and occasionally people will mention the value of the local languages. We have made a selection of some of the relevant ones related to the production of books.  On the 8th of September, International Literacy Day is observed across countries. But what special meaning could literacy hold for multilingual education in India? We will focus on a few efforts that show true literacy is not just about statistics, but about ensuring people can read, learn, and think in their own mother tongues. The creation of books and learning resources in local languages plays a vital role in this process, helping bridge the gap between literacy and inclusion. Let us look at three recent stories that highlight how such initiatives are strengthening multilingual education. Finally, we will take a quick glance at a few highlights of International Literacy Day from India and UNESCO. 1. ...

It is quite rare to get a broad snapshot on what is happening in a country with regards to Multilingual Education. I therefore thoroughly enjoyed participating in the recent webinar organized by the National Consortium on Multilingual Education in India (NCMLEI) about an MLE landscaping study that Tata Trusts did in India. In this blog, you can read a few insights, and I strongly recommend watching the whole webinar ! The NCMLEI #6 webinar presented by Akhila Pydah & Dr. Shailaja Menon showcased insights from a nationwide landscaping study on Multilingual Education (MLE)  by Tata Trusts between February and April 2025. This study drew from expert consultations, organisational interviews, field visits across four states, and extensive desk research, the study provided a systematic mapping of MLE efforts across India.  Key Findings Finding 1: Lack of a unified understanding of MLE- India lacks a clear, shared understanding of multilingual education (MLE). Literature define...

We usually talk about strategies and policies, but Aparna Dixit and Dhir Jhingran go deeper in their article on multilingual pedagogies in the latest NORRAG Special Issue on MLE. They state that teachers' opinions, values and attitudes play a critical role in making multilingual education work. I particularly like the concept of "reculturing": “ … a vital cultural transformation that supports teachers in adopting newer practices while they simultaneously question and realign their beliefs."  Two recent articles in NORRAG Special Issue 11 focus on multilingual education (MLE) in India, offering insights grounded in both field-level practice and national policy experience. Together, they reflect the complex linguistic realities and evolving strategies of implementing MLE in the Indian context. ( NORRAG is the Global Education Centre of the Geneva Graduate Institute and a global network  of education and training) In the article ‘Navigating Multilingual Pedagogies in ...

A lot of discussion is going on about the recent directive from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to get serious about implementing the National Education Policy with regards to teaching in the language most familiar to the children. It is good to note the writings that support this move, but we also need to take note of those who raise concerns about the practical feasibility.  The CBSE has issued a directive in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF 2023). Beginning in the 2025–26 academic session, CBSE-affiliated schools are asked to implement a “mother tongue first” approach, making instruction in students’ home or regional languages mandatory during the foundational and preparatory stages of schooling (from pre-primary to Grade 5)( Times of India ). This language directive seeks to reshape how language is approached in early childhood education across India’s diverse linguistic la...