The importance of regional languages in education is increasingly being recognized in India as a means of improving student performance and participation, especially among those from less advantaged backgrounds. The role of these languages, and the efforts to promote them, are discussed in light of the recent emphasis by the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the value of early mother tongue education for creative thinking in children.
Understanding Regional Languages
Regional languages are those spoken by a substantial number of people but are not the main language of communication nationwide. A language becomes regional when it is predominantly used by people living in a specific region of a state or country. Article 343(1) of the Indian Constitution states that the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagiri Script.
The Importance of Regional Languages
Promoting regional languages can help alleviate the confusion over preferring English over any vernacular language. It allows children to think naturally in their mother tongue. This move also challenges the colonial mindset where speaking in a regional language could make a person feel inferior.
Several studies have highlighted the benefits of mother-tongue-based education, including improved performance in science and mathematics and higher rates of attendance and participation. Studying in the native language also seems to reduce dropout rates in premier engineering education institutions.
Promoting regional languages is particularly beneficial for first-generation learners and students from rural areas, who may feel overwhelmed by unfamiliar concepts in a foreign language.
Government Initiatives for Vernacular Language Promotion
Several initiatives have been taken by bodies like the UGC and All India Council of Technical Education to promote vernacular languages. Committees have been formed to explore how institutions could provide legal education in local languages. There are also plans to prepare 1,500 books in regional languages across different disciplines in the next year.
The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) provides publication grants for university-level books in regional languages, and the National Translation Mission (NTM), implemented via the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), also promotes vernacular languages.
How Regional Languages can be Promoted in Education
Regional languages can either be adopted as the medium of instruction or used as a learning aid for students in English medium who may not be proficient in the language. The use of artificial intelligence-based technology for real-time translations is also expected to make classrooms more inclusive. The National Education Policy 2022 emphasizes the use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction at least until class fifth or eighth.
Constitutional Provisions Related to Regional Languages
Articles 345, 346, 347, 350A, 350B, and 351 of the Indian Constitution contain various provisions related to the adoption and recognition of regional languages for official use. For instance, Article 345 allows a state legislature to adopt any language in use in the state or Hindi for official purposes. Article 347 gives the President the power to recognize a language as an official language of a given state if a substantial proportion of that state desires it.
Relevance of Regional Language in UPSC Civil Services Examination
Knowledge about regional languages and related constitutional provisions is essential for competitive examinations like the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Previous year questions have revolved around the International Mother Language Day declared by UNESCO and the tribal languages of India, emphasizing the significance of understanding regional languages in the context of India’s rich cultural diversity.
