Finding Linguistic Equity Through Multilingualism in NEP 2020

Abstract

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is the most significant rethinking of Indian schooling since 1986, and its language provisions are among its boldest. The policy asks that children be taught in their mother tongue at least until Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8. On paper, this is a straightforward pedagogical decision, backed by decades of international evidence. In practice, it lands in the middle of one of the most linguistically complex societies on earth, and asks a great deal of teachers, states and parents who have long organised their aspirations around English. This article examines what NEP 2020 says about language, why the evidence supports it, and what stands in the way of turning the policy into practice. Drawing on Agnihotri (1995), Cummins and Swain (1986), Skutnabb-Kangas (2000), García (2009), and empirical work from India and abroad, we argue that the policy’s ambitions are sound but its success will depend on far more than the drafting committee could deliver: sustained investment, real cooperation between the Centre and the states, a serious rethink of teacher preparation, and, most importantly, a willingness in Indian families and communities to keep their languages alive and to pass them on with pride.