Multilingual Education and India

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...

A joint conference between government, civil society and universities is always good for cross fertilisation. The   British Council focused the yearly School Education Conference this year on multilingual pedagogy and practice in school education. At these conferences a significant number of teachers attend: a good way to interact with the multilingual classroom realities! The School Education Conference 2025, held on February 4, 2025, in collaboration between the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the British Council, was a pivotal event focusing on "Enhancing Multilingual Pedagogy and Practice in the Classroom." The conference aligned with India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), emphasizing the transformative role of multilingual education in fostering inclusive and effective learning environments. Conference Highlights: Theme: The central theme revolved around integrating multil...