Learning three languages essential for cognitive growth

LANGUAGES are the lens through which we look at the world and navigate our lives. Without them, it is impossible for a child to cross the river of education.

- ANITA KARWAL Former Secretary, School Education, Gol

LANGUAGES are the lens through which we look at the world and navigate our lives. Without them, it is impossible for a child to cross the river of education. And with the increasing porosity of borders—both within nations and beyond—global citizenship is not just a distant vision, but a reality. It may not be possible to make good of it without multilingualism.

The National Education Policy 2020 made a bold and futuristic statement when it provided for multilingual education through a variety of interventions. They include learning in Indian languages from K12 to PhD, learning more than one language in school, bilingual textbooks, setting up a National Institute of Translation and Interpretation, having departments of translation and interpretation in higher education, promotion of classical languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, and the use of technology for learning and translating.

The NEP's provisions for language study in schools are further detailed in the National Curriculum Framework 2023 (NCF), which gives a roadmap for implementation. Note that the NCF uses the short forms R1, R2 and R3 to indicate the hierarchy of language learning.