Children learn best when they’re taught in their mother tongue

livemint.com:

Learning begins at home, where we absorb our first language from our family, shaping our identity and sense of belonging. This mother tongue is a source of comfort and cultural connection for all children. However, when children step into pre-school or school at the age of 3 or 4, they may face a daunting challenge.

They are suddenly immersed in a new language environment, struggling to comprehend words they’ve never heard, spoken or written before. Their parents, often unfamiliar with this language, struggle to support them, leading to a higher risk of children dropping out from schools within a few years. The importance cannot be overstated of inclusive policies and practices for multilingual education linked to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 of quality education and lifelong learning for all.

Unesco calls on all member countries to implement mother language-based education and pursue a policy of multilingual education. India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognizes the significance of learning in one’s mother tongue. Most children are enrolled in school, yet many aren’t learning effectively.

The National Achievement Survey 2021 and Foundational Learning Study 2022, conducted by the ministry of education, for example, show that children from Tribal communities perform poorly in school compared to others. To ensure equitable learning and foster inclusive societies, we must delve deeper into societal and contextual factors at work. Early education in the mother tongue could serve as a crucial factor in learning new languages, fostering understanding, confidence and a love for learning.