SCOPING NEP 2020: HOW ENGLISH IS INTEGRAL TO MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

Enhancing memory capacity, strengthening problem-solving abilities, improving multitasking capabilities, and even helping delay cognitive decline in later years. This is merely scratching the surface — the cognitive advantages of multilingualism are vast and far-reaching. These benefits are particularly relevant in India, where languages define geographic state boundaries, making multilingualism a lived reality. With two official languages — Hindi and English —and 22 languages featuring in the eighth schedule of the Constitution, India’s inherent commitment to multilingualism is evident.

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Multilingual education creates a more inclusive and effective learning environment. Research in countries such as Kenya and Burundi in sub-Saharan Africa as well as South-East Asian countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia have consistently shown that students achieve better learning outcomes when taught in languages they comprehend well. This is particularly crucial in early education, where mother tongue-based instruction builds a solid foundation for future learning.

This is also the reason why the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 highlights multilingualism as a goal of school curriculum and stresses the three-language formula, allowing States and regions to choose the languages based on their needs, ensuring at least two languages are native to India. The NEP also encourages the use of bilingual and trilingual teaching methods to facilitate language learning across various levels.

The irrefutable fact

However, there is another irrefutable fact: Propelled by globalisation, mobility and the internet’s dominance, English has become the global lingua franca. Basic English language skills do provide enhanced opportunities for employment and career advancement. This underscores the need to leverage students’ multilingual abilities to strengthen their reading comprehension and their ability to understand complex concepts.

By embracing multilingualism, we not only broaden individual horizons but also cultural sensitivity and cross-cultural learning/understanding. This is especially important in the field of academia and research where international collaborations are needed in the field of medicine, technology, and space exploration to solve global challenges.