Multilingual Education and India

  © 2026 Karsten van Riezen What if the textbooks we rely on in multilingual literacy are actually holding us back?  As a teacher, I loved my textbooks: They gave me the clarity and structure I needed. But as we see a new, highly diverse multilingual classroom context emerging, it is time to rethink the role of instructional materials? In my recent  article from Linkedin , I explore the new role of instructional materials in literacy classrooms with learners who speak different local languages. I come to the conclusion that we should focus on 3 interventions and then invite you to your comments on those.  Primer-Centric MLE An important component of traditional Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programs is the development of a primer in the local language. Such primers are often the anchor around which an entire literacy program is built. Typically, it starts by teaching learners the most common sounds and words in that specific language, builds si...

I t is in the first years of education that the foundation is laid. It is therefore important to make well informed decisions on what languages should be used in Anganwadis (early learning centres) and pre-primary schools. Good that the last LEAD-India Community of Practice gave that attention! On 31st March, the LEAD India Community of Practice hosted an online session on Multilingual Education (MLE) and Early Childhood Education. The session brought together experienced experts: Dr. Shilaja Menon (Tata Trust),  Sunisha Ahuja (LLF- Language Learning Foundation), and Dr. Marcy Voss (Seidlitz Education). The speakers shared important ideas about how young  children learn best in a familiar language in their early years (primary and preprimary). Dr. Shailaja Menon spoke about how people’s mindset has changed over time as earlier, bi-lingualism was seen as a problem while learning. Today, it is seen more as a strength as learning in multiple languages helps children think better ...

The push for the use of local languages in the National Education Policy is not only triggering good discussions among educationalists but also creating an interest in the production of more books in other languages than just English and Hindi. One could also argue that it is the other way around and that the increased interest in the society for local languages has influenced the National Education Policy, but the point is that overall more space is created for languages in the debates in the marketplace!  Discussions around the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and developments in Indian publishing point to growing interest in strengthening mother-tongue based learning. One perspective comes from Anju Wal’s article on multilingual classrooms and the challenges of implementing NEP 2020, while another comes from the strong presence of Indian language publishing at the World Book Fair 2026. Together, these examples show how policy responses and cultural platforms can support and ...

It was inspiring to listen to Dr Subir Shukla at the Lead India webinar recently. Subir challenged us that we tend to spend far too much energy and time on the 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤 dimensions of  multilingual education: developing textbooks, solving orthography issues, creating certificates, etc. We should spend more energy on the 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤 dimensions: using the languages of the children to connect with the children, to draw them out, to let them engage. That makes more difference in the learning results than getting the curriculum in the "right" languages. If that is the case, we might need to change the narrative around what MLE is about . Let us explore what Subhir had to say! At the September 2025 LEAD Community of Practice meeting, Dr. Subir Shukla challenged a persistent misconception about Multilingual Education (MLE): that MLE is seen as a project but should be more than a project or program — a part of the education system as a whole. While acknowledging the t...

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...