All government schools in the Indian state of Gujarat have begun mandatorily teaching English to six-year-olds at the start of primary school, from June. “We are doing this so that students start learning the language at an early stage and don’t face problems in the future,” said Gujarat’s education minister. The policy is based on two assumptions: English is unavoidable in children's future and the earlier it’s taught, the more prepared they will be. Several other Indian states — Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, for example — are taking the policy even further. All schooling will be in English.
But an English-only education is not a viable solution in India as it’s neither desirable for children, nor doable — it diminishes benefits from learning in their own languages and teaching resources are already thin. A multilingual or bilingual nationally enforced education policy could instead adapt the best of both worlds for future generations, despite some push from parents for an all-English education.
Children who are discouraged from using any language other than English in schools grow up either ignorant of or disdainful towards their home languages. Mother tongue education provides many benefits to children. It helps with the development of their cognitive and academic skills, builds creativity as well as pride and self-esteem. This is especially important for children of Indigenous backgrounds and linguistic minorities. Mother tongue education also fosters “critical thinking” emphasised in India’s latest national education policy, NEP 2020.
