Impact of National Education Policy 2020 on Multilingual Education

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Namita Paul

Independent Researcher

India

Abstract
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 constitutes a paradigm shift in India’s educational framework, foregrounding multilingualism as a cornerstone of equitable and culturally responsive pedagogy. This extended abstract elaborates the study’s objectives, conceptual underpinnings, methodological rigor, and key outcomes over approximately six hundred words to reflect the depth and complexity of investigating NEP 2020’s impact on multilingual education. Grounded in sociocultural and cognitive linguistic theories, the research interrogates how policy directives have translated into classroom practices, resource allocation, and stakeholder perceptions across diverse regional contexts. Employing a convergent mixed-methods design, the study synthesizes policy analysis, a quantitative survey of 250 teachers from fifty schools spanning five linguistically varied states, and twelve focus group discussions with parents and students. Detailed document analysis of NEP 2020 and accompanying implementation guidelines reveals ambitious mandates: mother-tongue or regional-language instruction until Grade 5 (preferably until Grade 8), the flexible three-language formula, and development of high-quality multilingual curricular and digital resources. Key quantitative findings underscore a moderate level of teacher preparedness (62% reported formal multilingual pedagogy training), with significant regional disparities—higher fidelity in Tamil Nadu (78%) and Assam (74%), contrasted with challenges in Uttar Pradesh (49%). Teachers who participated in state-sponsored multilingual workshops demonstrated greater confidence and pedagogical innovation, integrating culturally relevant narratives and bilingual explanatory strategies into daily lessons. Qualitative insights illuminate parents’ enthusiastic endorsement of mother-tongue instruction for young learners’ conceptual clarity, tempered by anxieties regarding future English proficiency and economic mobility. Student participants corroborate enhanced engagement and comprehension when lessons incorporate their home languages, particularly in complex subjects like mathematics and science, though they report prevailing emphasis on standardized assessments in Hindi and English.

Keywords
NEP 2020, Multilingual Education, Mother-Tongue Instruction, Language Policy, India

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