Conceptual clarity and cognitive flexibility are significantly improved when students learn in their first language. (File Photo)
Mar 13, 2025 14:30 IST First published on: Mar 13, 2025 at 14:20 IST
Considering how intensely Indian languages are woven into our culture, traditions, and social fabric, they hold prominent significance for Indians, even as some see English proficiency as a tool for engaging with the world. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognises India’s multilingual heritage. It advocates multilingual education to ensure inclusivity and remove the urban-rural and socio-economic gaps. When Indian languages are neglected, and English is prioritised as the medium of instruction in our higher education institutions (HEIs), learning outcomes, cognitive development, and social equity are all at risk. There is seldom an education system that knowingly places a cognitive burden on students by forcing them to learn complex subjects in a language they do not fully grasp.
Conceptual clarity and cognitive flexibility are significantly improved when students learn in their first language. But when a second language, such as English, is imposed as a medium of instruction, students struggle — not with the subject itself, but with the language barrier. In turn, their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities suffer, undermining the very purpose of education.
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Therefore, any dialogue about language policy should be based on scientific research and best practices worldwide. That denying students the right to be educated in the language they best understand is a failure to respect their educational needs.
The assumption that prioritising Indian languages compromises English learning mirrors the long-standing misconception that multilingualism is a barrier rather than a cognitive advantage. The evidence is clear: Proficiency in English is not sacrificed when students learn in their mother tongue — it is strengthened.
If education experts are to be believed, even when students enrol in English-medium programmes, the most effective classrooms are those where bilingual or multilingual teaching is embraced — not as an exception, but as a norm. After all, fostering an inclusive environment is not just about access but also ensuring that students feel confident and engaged in learning.
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At present, many rural students struggle in an English-only setup, where the lack of familiarity with the medium often leads to anxiety and alienation. That is why the UGC’s latest initiative aims to address this gap by allowing students to sit their examinations in their mother tongue, regardless of the language of instruction. Students should be assessed based on their subject knowledge, not just their English proficiency.
What is striking about the entire debate surrounding English in education is that by today’s flawed measures of linguistic competence — an arbitrary standard that serves little purpose beyond reinforcing outdated biases — proficiency in English and its use as a medium of instruction are often conflated. And let’s not ignore the fact that some of the world’s best academic outcomes come from nations where higher education is conducted in native languages, not English.
Regrettably, English is entrenched as the dominant medium in our HEIs, notwithstanding a rich tradition of scholarship in Indian languages. With pre-NEP 2020 policies that equated English with modernity, the colonial linguistic mindset continues to persist in the Indian education system as the most deep-rooted challenge.
Despite growing evidence of the benefits of learning in one’s mother tongue, Indian languages remain sidelined in higher education. Why? A combination of historical conditioning and systemic inertia is responsible for this. We must stop reinforcing an exclusionary attitude by asserting that English is inherently superior to Indian languages for higher learning. While initiatives like the NEP 2020 promote multilingualism, any apathy and resistance hinder progress. Without deliberate and sustained efforts to integrate Indian languages into mainstream academia, linguistic inequality will continue unchecked.
By considering the need to provide education in Indian languages, the Government of India has introduced the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme (BBPS) in the Union Budget 2025. The primary objective of BBPS is to bridge educational gaps and create equal opportunities for students by expanding access to high-quality learning resources in multiple languages. This policy supports the NEP 2020, which emphasises multilingual education to enhance conceptual understanding and reduce learning disparities.
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While BBPS commits to ensuring the digital availability of Indian language textbooks in multiple disciplines within three years, the implementation challenge for adopting Indian languages as a medium in higher education lies in how effectively HEIs integrate this multilingual approach. The true impact of this scheme will depend not merely on its availability but on its acceptance within HEIs.
Linguistic inclusivity in higher education is not merely an aspirational ideal but a necessary step toward the true democratisation of education. The continued dominance of English in our HEIs is less about academic excellence and more about historical inertia, a lingering effect of colonial structures that persist in shaping access to knowledge. To dismantle these barriers, our HEIs must reimagine pedagogy by actively integrating the Indian-language medium into instruction, assessment and research. Academic excellence should not be defined by a colonial benchmark but by the ability to think, create, and innovate in one’s language. HEIs should not continue to reproduce the hierarchies they should seek to dismantle. Today’s student, who struggles with comprehension in an unfamiliar language, is tomorrow’s professional, whose potential remains unrealised. Our HEIs need to confront this reality if they are to fulfil their core mission — to be spaces of true learning, accessibility, and empowerment for all.
The writer is chairman, UGC and former VC, JNU. Views are personal
