{"id":47172,"date":"2025-07-07T20:06:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T14:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=47172"},"modified":"2025-07-11T16:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T11:18:47","slug":"studying-mother-tongue-instils-strong-values-cji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-07-2025\/studying-mother-tongue-instils-strong-values-cji","title":{"rendered":"Studying in Mother Tongue Instils Strong Values: CJI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance; Government Policy &amp; Intervention; Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Chief Justice of India underscored the enduring value of education in one\u2019s mother tongue, calling it a cornerstone of personal growth and ethical grounding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A language is an umbrella term which contains many mother tongues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India is a <strong>linguistically diverse<\/strong> country, and one of the richest in the world \u2014 with over <strong>1,300 rationalized mother tongues<\/strong> and <strong>122 major languages<\/strong> spoken by more than 10,000 people each.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In ancient gurukuls and madrasas, students learned through Sanskrit, Pali, Persian, or regional dialects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, <strong>colonial education policies introduced English<\/strong> as the dominant medium, <strong>marginalizing native languages<\/strong> and creating a <strong>linguistic divide<\/strong> that persists today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The push for mother tongue-based education is more than a pedagogical shift \u2014 it\u2019s a cultural renaissance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Language was not just a medium \u2014 it was a carrier of values, identity, and indigenous knowledge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Present Form<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Commissions <\/strong>like Radhkrishnan (1948), Mudaliar (1952-53), Kothari (1964-66), and the National Policy on Education (1986) stated that education should be provided in the mother tongue in early ages at <strong>Primary School Level.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 <\/strong>and <strong>National Curriculum Framework 2023<\/strong> mark a paradigm shift by advocating for mother tongue or home language as the medium of instruction until <strong>at least Grade 5<\/strong>, and<strong> preferably till Grade 8<\/strong> and beyond. It is backed by:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Right to Education Act, 2009,<\/strong> which mandates mother tongue instruction \u2018as far as practicable\u2019.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Initiatives like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/26-10-2021\/nipun-bharat-mission\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/26-10-2021\/nipun-bharat-mission\">NIPUN Bharat<\/a>, Vidya Pravesh, and NISHTHA FLN<\/strong>, which promote foundational literacy through native languages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CBSE\u2019s recent push for <strong>language mapping and regional-language primers<\/strong> in 52 Indian languages, including tribal tongues like Bhutia, Kuki, and Sherpa, to support early education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments For Teaching in the Mother Tongue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cognitive and Academic Benefits: <\/strong>Children grasp concepts more easily when taught in a language they understand from birth.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Studies show improved critical thinking, literacy, and problem-solving skills when early education is delivered in the mother tongue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Identity and Confidence:<\/strong> Learning in one\u2019s native language fosters self-esteem, cultural pride, and a stronger sense of identity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It helps preserve linguistic diversity and indigenous knowledge systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Better Learning Outcomes: <\/strong>UNESCO and UNICEF report that students taught in their mother tongue perform better in reading comprehension and numeracy in early grades.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It reduces dropout rates and increases classroom participation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments Against Teaching in the Mother Tongue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limited Global Competitiveness:<\/strong> Overemphasis on regional languages may hinder English proficiency, which is often essential for higher education and global job markets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implementation Challenges:<\/strong> In linguistically diverse regions, it\u2019s difficult to choose a single \u2018mother tongue\u2019 for instruction.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There\u2019s a shortage of trained teachers fluent in local languages and a lack of quality textbooks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transition Difficulties:<\/strong> Students may struggle when switching from mother tongue to English or other languages in later grades, especially in science and technical subjects.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some learners become overly reliant on their native language and avoid using the second language, limiting fluency development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2e2e3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"895\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Arguments-Against-Teaching-in-the-Mother-Tongue-895x1024.png\" alt=\"Arguments Against Teaching in the Mother Tongue\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-47173\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2e2e3; width:310px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Arguments-Against-Teaching-in-the-Mother-Tongue-895x1024.png 895w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Arguments-Against-Teaching-in-the-Mother-Tongue-262x300.png 262w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Arguments-Against-Teaching-in-the-Mother-Tongue-768x879.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Arguments-Against-Teaching-in-the-Mother-Tongue.png 1071w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 895px) 100vw, 895px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promote bilingual education, starting with the mother tongue and gradually integrating English.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Invest in teacher training and multilingual resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Respect regional autonomy while aligning with national goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ptinews.com\/story\/national\/Studying-in-one-s-mother-tongue-instils-strong-values--CJI-Gavai\/2704644\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the Chief Justice of India underscored the enduring value of education in one\u2019s mother tongue, calling it a cornerstone of personal growth and ethical grounding.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A language is an umbrella term which contains many mother tongues.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India is a linguistically diverse country, and one of the richest in the world \u2014 with over 1,300 rationalized mother tongues and 122 major languages spoken by more than 10,000 people each.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In ancient gurukuls and madrasas, students learned through Sanskrit, Pali, Persian, or regional dialects.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">However, colonial education policies introduced English as the dominant medium, marginalizing native languages and creating a linguistic divide that persists today.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-07-2025\/studying-mother-tongue-instils-strong-values-cji\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47172"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47698,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47172\/revisions\/47698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}