Speaking at an event to mark the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) in New Delhi on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for education in the mother tongue and said through the NEP, the country has started leaving behind the inferiority complex generated after portraying the country’s rich languages as “backward”.
Citing the example of Europe, Mr. Modi said education in the mother tongue will do justice to the young population in the country.
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Mr. Modi said education in mother tongue is initiating a new form of justice for students in India. “It is also a very significant step towards social justice,” he added. The Prime Minister said many developed nations of the world have an edge owing to their local language.
He said even though India has an array of established languages, they were presented as a sign of backwardness, and those who could not speak English were neglected and their talents were not recognised. “As a result,” the Prime Minister said, “the children of rural areas remained most affected.”
He added that the country has now begun to shun this belief with the advent of the NEP. “Even at the U.N., I speak in Indian language,” Mr. Modi said.
The Prime Minister said subjects ranging from Social Science to Engineering will now be taught in Indian languages. “When students are confident in a language, their skills and talent will emerge without any restrictions,” Mr. Modi said.
He said those who try to politicise language for their own selfish interests will now have to “shut their shops”. “NEP will give due respect and credit to every language in the country,” he said.
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He said the NEP will play a big role in creating an energetic new generation in the next 25 years. This generation, he said, will be free from the mentality of slavery, eager for innovations, and ready to bring laurels in fields from science to sports, willing to skill themselves as per the needs of the 21st century.
Mr. Modi said the priority of NEP is that every youth of India should get the same education and the same opportunity for education. “Equality in education means that no child is deprived of education due to place, class, region,” he said.
He said the Centre is upgrading thousands of schools under the PM SHRI Scheme. “In the age of 5G, these modern schools will be a medium of modern education,” he said and added: “Now, in India, the gap of resources needed for education is being covered rapidly.”
