Multilingual Classroom

An Indian primary classroom usually holds several languages — the child's home language or dialect, the school's medium, and one or two other languages of the region. NCF 2005 and NEP 2020 both treat this as a resource to be used, not a problem to be removed.

Why the home language matters

• A child thinks in the language she knows; taking it away takes away her thinking tool.
• Concepts learnt in the home language transfer to the second language; they do not have to be learnt twice.
• A child forbidden to use her language concludes that her home is inferior, which damages self-image and attendance.
• Research and policy agree that early literacy is fastest in a language the child already speaks.

This is why NEP 2020 states that the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, and preferably beyond, should be the home language, mother tongue or local language, and that no language will be imposed on any child.

Multilingualism as a resource

The three-language formula and NCF 2005's position paper on languages both treat multilingualism as an asset. Children who handle more than one language show greater cognitive flexibility, better attention control and an earlier awareness of language itself. A classroom with six home languages is richer, not harder, if the teacher uses them.

What a teacher actually does

• Allow children to explain and reason in their home language, and record in the school language.
• Learn a few words, songs and stories in the children's languages and use them in class.
• Label the classroom in more than one language; display children's writing in their own language.
• Let a bilingual child interpret for a classmate — this is peer scaffolding, not cheating.
• Treat the child's dialect as a full language, never as 'wrong Hindi' or 'village language'.
• Introduce the school language gradually through listening and speaking before demanding written accuracy.

Language and the school's power

The language a school honours signals whose knowledge counts. A teacher who corrects a child's Bhojpuri or Magahi word publicly teaches thirty children that their homes speak badly. The professional response is to accept the word, use it, and add the standard form beside it.

✗ Children must be stopped from speaking their home language in class.  |  ✓ The home language is a resource; use it as a bridge to the school language.

Frequently asked questions

Should children be allowed to use their home language in class?

Yes. The home language is the tool a child thinks with, and concepts learnt in it transfer to the school language. NCF 2005 and NEP 2020 both treat it as a resource and a bridge rather than an obstacle.

What does NEP 2020 say about the medium of instruction?

That wherever possible the medium until at least Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, should be the home language, mother tongue or local language, and that no language will be imposed on any student.

How should a teacher respond to a child's dialect word?

By accepting it, using it in the conversation, and placing the standard form beside it. Public correction teaches the whole class that their homes speak badly and makes children stop speaking altogether.