Multilingual Education and India

Happy International Mother Language Day 2026! There is lots to celebrate on this day, as many good things are happening. Yes, we realize that there are many challenges too, but on a day like this, let's look at some of the things that are happening in the different states and organizations! On the occasion of International Mother Language Day 2026, it is worth pausing to look at what is actually unfolding in India around multilingual education (MLE). This year’s theme from UNESCO, “Youth voices on multilingual education,” resonates strongly with ongoing conversations and developments in India shaped by NEP 2020 (National Education Policy) and the National Curriculum Framework. At the same time, recent evidence provides both encouragement and caution. UNESCO’s State of the Education Report for India 2025 (SOER) underscores that Mother Tongue–Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is foundational for inclusion and improved learning outcomes. However, the Teaching Learning Practices S...

Having many languages in one classroom can be enriching but also challenging, especially because every classroom situation is different. A teaching typology can help bring clarity by identifying common language situations and linking them to suitable teaching strategies. This work is meant to start a conversation, and feedback from teachers, teacher trainers, and policymakers is warmly welcomed on how it can be improved. In the Linkedin article “An MLE Typology that Fits the New Narrative,”   we state that today’s classrooms can no longer be understood through a simple “one home language → one school language” model; instead, we must recognise that there are many contexts where students speak multiple different languages and where no single shared language exists between teacher and learners. A classroom typology can help to identify the relevant difference in classroom situations: © 2026 Karsten van Riezen This framework helps make sense of what we see in India’s recent Teaching ...