Multilingual Education and India

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 ...

Learning new things from a webinar can be quite enriching. Presenting at a webinar is even a richer experience: Recently I helped design and execute a webinar for the Early Learning Network of India (ELNI) hosted by Tata Trust. Good to talk about the reasons for and the principles for using the local languages in the classroom! The Early Learning Network of India (ELNI) invited education specialists to provide a global perspective in integrating local languages into early education for a webinar. The ELNI, supported by Tata Trusts, regularly hosts webinars focused on early literacy and the use of local languages in classrooms. These sessions bring together educators, researchers, and policymakers to share international and national insights on multilingual education. The ELNI is led by Dr. Shailaja Menon, and promotes early literacy through teacher development and multilingual, research-informed practices in collaboration with institutions and NGOs. During this presentation the topics ...

Languages matter: global guidance on multilingual education (UNESCO) In 1953, UNESCO published "The use of vernacular languages in education," a historical report advocating for the use of mother tongues in education. It was an influential document in promoting multilingual education. Over the years several other publications followed and this year a fresh report came out: Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education . It is good to note that in this report India is mentioned several times with positive examples. Let's hope that also this time the report will help to move us all a bit closer to the desired situation where children can learn in a  language they are comfortable with before transitioning to a dominant language. As this was the 25th anniversary of the International Mother Language Day (21st February, 2025), UNESCO released a report, Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education which expresses the urgent need to include multili...