Field and Policy insights on Multilingual Education from NORRAG Issue 11

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 Primary Education for Adivasi Children in India’ (Pg 49-53)  Aparna Dixit, an independent researcher, and Dhir Jhingran, founder of the Language and Learning Foundation, draw on fieldwork in Rajasthan to examine how teachers' attitudes toward Wagdi impact multilingual education efforts. The authors, drawing on field experiences, examine how primary classrooms can become more inclusive of children’s home languages in a highly hierarchical linguistic landscape. The article reflects on the stratification of languages in India—from constitutionally recognized official languages to lesser-recognised minority languages—and draws attention to how school teachers’ internal beliefs about minority languages shape their pedagogical practices, ultimately affecting student learning.

One of the article’s key insights is the focus on teachers: although many understand the local language, Wagdi, they often do not view it as a legitimate teaching language. This internalised bias is reinforced by teacher training programs that prioritise dominant languages. The authors advocate for a deeper transformation, or "reculturing", urging that beyond material development, teachers must undergo a shift in mindset and their beliefs that values students' linguistic identities.

In the article ‘Multilingualism: Teaching, Learning and Pedagogic Innovation in the Indian Context’ (pg 120-124) Rashi Sharma, former Director at the Ministry of Education, and Purabi Pattanayak, Principal Chief Consultant and Researcher at the Ministry of Education( Department of School Education and Literacy), analyse how India’s NEP 2020 and NCFSE 2023 promote systemic support for mother-tongue instruction through innovative multilingual pedagogies. 

The article calls for innovative practices to promote MLE, including Linguistic Mapping to gather data on students’ language backgrounds for tailored instruction. It also recommends the use of Multilingual Resources, such as textbooks incorporating multiple scripts and languages, digital materials available through platforms like DIKSHA in over 33 Indian languages, and the integration of sign language in e-learning modules. The authors emphasise the importance of teacher preparation, suggesting both pre-service and in-service training to equip educators with localised pedagogical strategies.

These two articles offer important insights for strengthening multilingual education and mother-tongue use in India. Aparna Dixit and Dhir Jhingran highlight the role of teachers’ attitudes toward local languages like Wagdi, showing how negative beliefs can limit inclusive classroom practices. They argue that real change requires not just materials but a shift in how teachers value students’ home languages. Rashi Sharma and Purabi Pattanayak focus on broader policy and practical tools—like language mapping, multilingual resources, and better teacher training—under frameworks like NEP 2020 and NCFSE 2023. Together, these articles show that promoting MLE in India needs both classroom-level mindset(beliefs) change as well as strong system-wide support.



Regards,

Karsten, in collaboration with Upasana Lepcha





Resources:

  1. Multilingualism and Language Transition: Innovations and Possibilities | NORRAG Network and Library

  2. About Us - NORRAG  

  3. Reculturing for Multilingual Classrooms, Aparna Dixit, Linkedin post.

  4. Karsten’s LinkedIn post on the Multilingual Pedagogies article.

Photo: ChatGPT AI