Mother tongue, not English, to be 1st language: NCF draft

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, April 8

To promote multilingualism, the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) draft advocates a three-language formula with mother tongue as the medium of instruction. This is among other major changes the NCF has proposed in the school education.

Stresses proficiency in three languages

• Students must learn at least three languages in their school years — R1, R2 & R3
• R1 most used local language; R2 any other, including English; R3 other than R1, R2
• State or relevant bodies to take call on these preferences, NCF draft reads

The NCF draft states the first language should only be mother tongue and English could be the second or third option in the three-language formula. According to it, students have to learn at least three languages in their school years, denoting R1, R2 and R3. While R1 will obviously be the most used local language, R2 can be any other language, including English, and R3 other than R1 and R2. The state or the relevant bodies will take a call on these preferences, the draft elaborates.

It stresses R1 has to be the language of instruction in which literacy will first be attained. Preferably, it should be the most familiar language of the students, usually the mother tongue, it reads.

According to the National Education Policy (NEP), all possible efforts will be made to ensure that any gaps between the spoken language and the medium of instruction are bridged.

The three-language formula will ensure that the student is an independent reader and writer of R1 by the age 8 (Grade 3), demonstrate a similar level of literacy in R2 by age 11 (Grade 6) and R3 by age 14 (Grade 9).