Challenges of Transitioning to Multilingual Education Under NEP 2020: Perspectives from Primary School Administrators in U.P.

Abstract

The adoption of the mother tongue/ local regional language as the medium of instruction up to grade 5 bring a radical transformation to the Indian education system. This paper examines the challenges, practical barriers, and cultural issues arising from the implementation of this multilingual transition at primary level education within Uttar Pradesh (U.P). Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection approaches, we conducted a survey and interviews with 200 primary school administrators and teachers from rural and urban areas in U.P. There is a clear division of geographic differences between the two areas. In rural blocks, 82% of the respondents indicated a critical lack of instructional materials in their local tongue such as Awadhi and Bhojpuri. This forces teachers to come up with ad hoc solutions because there are no books available in the local languages of the learners. On the other hand, the challenge in urban areas is entirely opposite. There is strong resistance among parents towards the local language education due to the importance of English-medium institutions. In addition to this, centralized policies for teacher recruitment also result in new teachers who do not understand the local language of the area to which they have been posted. In order to implement the language requirements laid out in the NEP 2020 policy, the state government would need to adopt a more flexible approach based on dual language use and local teacher placement..