Lok Sabha Question No. 2540 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-09
Subject: Teaching Medium in Educational Institutions
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Ms. S Jothimani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2540 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026

## Teaching Medium in Educational Institutions

2540. Ms. S Jothimani:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  schools  and  other  educational  institutions  run  by  the  Government  teach  students  in  their mother tongue, except Hindi or a significant language;

(b)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  has  any  language  policy  governing  the  medium  of  instruction  in educational institutions;

(c) if not, the details of the medium of language presently adopted in such institutions;

(d) the number of students who have benefited from the Government's schemes and enrolled for PostGraduate (PG) from 2014 till date; and

(e) the details of recruitment of teaching faculty for education institutions run by the Government, social category-wise, language-wise and State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a)  to  (e):  The  Government  of  India  has  brought  out  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020  and National Curriculum Frameworks for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. These policy and curriculum documents  promote  all  Indian  languages  in  school.  These  documents  have  been  developed  after  a nationwide deliberation with stakeholders and those concerned about education of children. NEP 2020 and NCF-SE advocate mother tongue-based education with the aim to promote all Indian languages in school  because  children's  cognitive  and  academic  development  is  smooth  and  harmonious  when children learn in their languages. Multilingual Education is the pedagogy, policy and goal of language education in school.

The  NEP  2020  inter-alia  provides  that  it  is  well  understood  that  young  children  learn  and  grasp nontrivial concepts more quickly in their home language/mother tongue. Home language is usually the same language as the mother tongue or that which is spoken by local communities. However, at times in multi-lingual  families,  there  can  be  a  home  language  spoken  by  other  family  members  which  may sometimes  be  different  from  mother  tongue  or  local  language.  Wherever  possible,  the  medium  of instruction  until  at  least  Grade  5,  but  preferably  till  Grade  8  and  beyond,  will  be  the  home language/mother  tongue/local  language/regional  language.  Thereafter,  the  home/local  language  shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. This will be followed by both public and private schools.

Further, the NEP 2020 also emphasizes that the three-language formula will continue to be implemented while keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be a greater flexibility in the three-language  formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.

The NCF-SE 2023, inter-alia, provides that the students will learn at least three languages in their school years, denoted R1, R2, and R3.

-  R1:  This  is  the  language  used  as  medium  of  instruction  (MoI),  and  in  which  literacy  is  first attained. Preferably it should be the most familiar language of the students, which is usually the mother  tongue/home  language.  With  India's  linguistic  diversity,  even  within  a  class-room,  it may not be possible to have the home language as the R1 for all students; in such circumstances a language which is familiar to the students should be chosen as R1 - which is often the most commonly used local language.
-  R2: This could be any other language, including English.
-  R3: This is any other language that is not R1 or R2.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued circulars pertaining to the availability of entry-level  primers  for  mother  tongues/local  languages/home  languages,  promotion  of  multilingual education and use of mother tongue as a medium of instruction, and the implementation guidelines for language instruction under the NCF-SE 2023 for Foundational and Preparatory Stages. The links to the aforesaid circulars are provided below:

- o https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web\_material/Circulars/2023/84\_Circular\_2023.pdf
- o https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web\_material/Circulars/2024/43\_Circular\_2024.pdf
- o https://cbseacademic.nic.in/web\_material/Circulars/2025/30\_Circular\_2025.pdf

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has encouraged the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in the country to prepare course structures, syllabi and course material in various Indian languages so as to facilitate teaching-learning and enable students to write examinations in their mother tongue or local language. For this purpose, UGC has issued Guidelines for translation of books into Indian languages vide its letter dated 13.07.2023 to all HEIs. Further, to create an enabling ecosystem of content creation in  Bharatiya  Bhasha,  the  UGC  in  collaboration  with  Bharatiya  Bhasha  Samiti  has  conceptualized  a project titled 'ASMITA' to promote academic writing and translation in higher education.

Further, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has a language policy that promotes the use  of Indian  languages  (mother  tongue/regional  languages) as  a  medium  of  instruction  in  technical education, in alignment with the NEP 2020.

Recruitment is a continuous process & recruitment of teaching faculty in Government and Governmentaided educational institutions is carried out by the respective recruiting authorities on pan-India basis, in accordance  with  the  extant  provisions  and  reservation  policies  of  the  Government  for  various  social categories, including SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwD, as applicable.

Moreover, since education is  in  the  Concurrent  List  of  the  Constitution  of  India  and  the  majority  of schools and colleges are under the domain of the State Governments and UT Administrations, the States and UTs are equipped to take appropriate steps regarding the medium of instruction and recruitment of teaching faculty in their respective educational institutions.

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