NEP 2020: The Status of English

Of the three languages a child should learn, two must be native to India. So, what about the remaining one? NEP 2020 doesn't give a direct answer to this question. Does this mean English has lost its status as a mandatory language in schools—as was prescribed in the old education policy? Let us see first, what NEP 2020 says about English.

School Education

NEP 2020 states that efforts are to be made to prepare "bilingual textbooks and teaching-learning materials for science and mathematics" in "home language/mother tongue" of the student and "in English."

Foreign languages are to be offered at the secondary level, it is stated, "in addition to high quality offerings in Indian languages and English."

Financial assistance has been promised to "alternative forms of schools" if they wish to introduce some particular subjects—including English—in their curriculum.

Higher Education

State institutions offering law education have been asked to consider offering bilingual education - in English and in the language of the State in which the institution is situated.

What does this conclude?

The old education policy clearly stated the three languages a child had had to learn at the school level - English, Hindi and the official language of the state where the school was situated. The National Education Policy 2020, so as to provide "greater flexibility in the three-language formula," hasn't spelled out the languages to be learned, but has restricted the choices to include at least two native languages among the three.

In other words, if Uttar Pradesh chooses Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bhojpuri as the three languages to be taught in schools, it may do so well within the framework of NEP 2020.

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.

– National Education Policy 2020