Promising results from a grassroot NGO: MLE pupils do better in Maths and English

© Abhishek Scariya



Visiting local NGOs sometimes reveals hidden gems. When I was at the Asha Kiran Society in Southern Odia last week, they talked about a study they did six years ago to compare children in their MLE classes with children who had only regular school inputs.  While studies of these may not be at the quality of a scientific  paper, they do help us by providing a peek into the positive impact Multilingual Education has. Here are some learnings from their  internal report. 


The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions to global education, forcing primary school students to endure six to eight months without proper classes or structured educational inputs.  This provided Asha Kiran with an opportunity to do a unique study - to check for ‘retained learning’ - after 6 months of no formal educational inputs!


In November 2022 the Asha Kiran Society in southern Odia conducted a small, quasi-experimental study to see whether the children who had gone through their Multilingual Education program had different learning outcomes compared to children who had not (while maintaining COVID-19 protocols).  All children were enrolled in government schools, and the Asha Kiran team compared 108 primary students (Grades 3–5) from their Multi-Lingual Education (MLE) Centres against a similar control group of 111 non-MLE peers from neighbouring villages who did not have MLE inputs.   


By testing grade-appropriate performance across math, English, Odiya, and the native Desiya languages as well as aptitude in mathematics, the study explored whether beginning education in a child's home language (Desiya) provides a measurable academic advantage over standard schooling models.  


Findings

The final data revealed a clear performance advantage across all grades, demonstrating that the MLE cohort was significantly more resilient against learning decay. In regional Odiya literacy, MLE students far outperformed their peers in both reading fluency and comprehension, and Grade 3 MLE students showed strong foundational skills in their native Desiya language. This cognitive advantage carried over directly into English and math; for example, 42% of Grade 5 MLE students could read full English stories while 0% of the non-MLE group could advance past single words. Similarly, in Grade 5 math, 71% of MLE students mastered higher-order arithmetic operations, compared to 0% of non-MLE students who remained stuck at or below basic number recognition.

 

Fig1.1 Highest Level Achieved by Students in English- Reading Fluency


Fig1.2 Highest Level Achieved by Students in Mathematics(Grade 5)

Nuance

It is important to note that these positive outcomes represent small-scale evidence from a specific timeframe. Furthermore, a potential "halo effect" must be considered: the higher results among MLE students may also be influenced by confounding variables—such as the introduction of extra teachers,, and increased instructional support —rather than the beneficial effect of beginning literacy and numeracy in mother-tongue language alone. 


Conclusion

While further long-term research is needed to isolate the variables, this impact assessment’s data is certainly encouraging as it suggests that when children build their initial cognitive framework in their home or familiar language it gives them significant academic advantages, including in English and Mathematics.


Regards,

Karsten, in collaboration with Upasana Lepcha