In My Tongue

The CBSE's move to implement the 'mother tongue first' policy aims to enhance early learning and equity, but there are practical hurdles in implementing it in linguistically diverse Indian classrooms

- N Sukumar

THE recent Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) circular to offer education in the mother tongue or the dominant language prevalent in the state at the primary level has led to intense debates. This is only to be expected in a multilingual country like India. International organisations like UNESCO have argued that early teaching in the mother tongue will have a positive impact on the child's cognitive capabilities. Eminent philosopher Paulo Freire argued that the mother tongue plays a crucial role in shaping a critical consciousness, especially among marginalised groups. However, the historical trajectory of every society is unique when it comes to the evolution and usage of languages.

In India, till the colonial encounter, Sanskrit and Persian were the languages of the court, patronised by the elite. Ordinary people inhabited a multiverse which was reflected in their oral and written traditions, be it the Bhakti-Sufi poets or the compositions in the local/regional/community dialects.

The 'infamous' Minute of Thomas Macaulay (February 2, 1835)—a pivotal document that significantly reshaped education in British India—added another layer to this language poser. For the British, everything worthy of knowledge was ingrained in their tongue and the rest of the native languages were considered unworthy of attention.

Needless to mention, gradually, a cleavage emerged in society due to the downward filtration theory of the colonial state. The elites quickly imbibed the lingo of the new ruling class and the Indian languages, now called ‘vernaculars’, became the domain of the socially inferior communities. Such ideas did not go unchallenged and Jyotiba Phule dubbed education as the ‘Trutiya Ratna’ or the Third Eye, crucial for the lower castes/ classes to attain wisdom and freedom.