Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Tuesday that the government would provide study materials in 22 Indian languages up to Class 5 as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 gives importance to the mother tongue. Pradhan stated that the curriculum for the foundational stage would be prepared using technology in the 22 languages listed in the Constitution. He made this announcement during the launch of the ‘Future of Learning Collaborative’ conference by Anant National University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Pradhan further added that the NEP has a special focus on the mother tongue and local languages. He chaired a meeting on Monday to review the study materials for the foundational stage under the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF), where the decision was taken. Previously, NCERT books were provided in only three languages, i.e., English, Hindi, and Urdu.

As per the NEP 2020, the new school education system will have five years in the foundational stage, three years in the preparatory and middle stages each, and four years in the secondary stage. In 2020, the Centre had started revising school textbooks by appointing former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Kasturirangan as the head of a 12-member steering committee to develop a new NCF.

Speaking about the Digital University, Pradhan mentioned that the government is planning to build it on a networked hub-spoke model, which is a unique concept with no world model. He said that India is developing a global model, and deliberations are underway at various levels with stakeholders’ discussions. The Digital University will provide a virtual platform from registration to examination while maintaining quality, which is not available globally.

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