National Education Policy prescribes no language

GS paper 2

Syllabus: Issues related to the development of the social sector involving education

Source: The Hindu

Context: The Ministry of Education constituted a high-powered committee, the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti for the promotion of Indian languages.

Objective of the committee:

• Preparing an action plan: For the growth of Indian languages as prescribed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Key focus areas for promoting Indian languages:

• Bilingual: Prepare teachers to be bilingual.
• Qualification: Incorporating languages as a qualification.

Needs for the development of a language:

• Using it as a medium: For instruction or communication or entertainment or science and technology
• Developing contemporary literature or content: Such as current developments, thoughts or daily creation of knowledge globally in Indian languages
• New words generation: Need for a continuous process of generation of new words
• Technology: Languages adapt to technology as 2,000 to 3,000 languages that didn’t adapt to print technology disappeared
• Material: Teaching and learning material
• Patronage: which can be from corporates, society and governments.

How will it create Job opportunities?

• Communication in local language: Multinationals as well as corporates and governments need to communicate in local languages in order to increase their reach.
  • Only 10.4(ten points four)% know English.
• Interpreters: Need for interpreters
• Translators: In tourism, there will be a need for translators
• Technology tools: such as apps are now being developed in local languages which will open more avenues.

Power of states:

• There is flexibility given to States to choose the languages under the three-language formula.

Push for Sanskrit:

• NEP: Push through NEP
• The Central Sanskrit University: It will be developing simple, standard Sanskrit which can be used as a medium of instruction and communication.
• Sanskrit Knowledge Systems: Reservoir of knowledge in Sanskrit texts, which will be researched and published and made accessible.

Insta Links:

NEP 2020

Mains Link:

Q. National Electronic Policy 2020 is in conformity with Sustainable Development Goals-4 (2030). It intended to restructure and re-orient the education system in India. Critically examine the statement. (UPSC 2020)

Prelims Links:

• NEP
• SDG4
• Regional Languages