The flawed push for a third language:

The Hindu: Published on 29th Jan 2025:

Why in News?

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's push for a three-language system in schools has come under scrutiny. Critics argue that India's struggling education system should focus on strengthening core competencies in two languages rather than mandating a third. Evidence suggests that introducing a third language without addressing foundational gaps is ineffective and resource-intensive.

Key Issues and Analysis-

1. State of Language Proficiency in India

Global assessments like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranked India 73rd out of 74 countries in 2009. India has since withdrawn from PISA, highlighting concerns about educational performance.

National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2017 & 2021:

• 56% of Class 8 students could read a simple paragraph in their regional language.
• 49% could write an essay or letter.
• 44% had a good grasp of grammar.

Annual State of Education Report (ASER) 2022:

• 30.4% of Class 8 students couldn’t read even a Class 2-level text in their regional language or Hindi.
• 53.3% of Class 8 students struggled with basic English sentences.

Concerns: If students are failing in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages, adding a third (L3) increases cognitive load, diminishing overall proficiency.

2. Cognitive and Educational Challenges-

• Learning an L3 increases cognitive load, leading to mental fatigue and reduced retention of L1 and L2.
• Cross-linguistic interference can cause pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary issues.
• Fluency in three languages is rare, with one usually dominating at the cost of others.

Language Learning Asymmetry:

• Indo-Aryan language speakers (e.g., Marathi, Punjabi, Odia) find Hindi easier as L3 due to shared grammar and vocabulary.
• Dravidian (Tamil), Austro-Asiatic (Santali), and Sino-Tibetan (Mizo) speakers struggle due to linguistic differences.

3. Implementation and Resource Challenges-

Teacher and Infrastructure Shortage:

• Teaching a third language requires recruitment, training, and development of textbooks and technology.
• Rural schools and budget-constrained states will struggle with this mandate.

Illusory Language Choice:

• NEP 2020 claims students can choose any three languages, but in practice, supply and cost constraints push schools to offer only Hindi or Sanskrit.
• This creates an indirect push for Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states.

4. Alternatives and Global Best Practices-

Technological Alternatives:

AI-powered translation tools can bridge language barriers without imposing additional classroom burdens.

Lessons from Singapore:

English was adopted as the neutral first language, with mother tongues (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil) as the second.

This approach fostered economic growth, social cohesion, and global competitiveness.

English for Global Competitiveness:

Countries like China, South Korea, Japan, and Brazil are prioritizing English for higher education and employment.

The NEP focuses more on Sanskrit than English, ignoring its importance in science, technology, and global job markets.

5. The Hindi Debate and National Unity-

2011 Census: Hindi Speakers Overestimated

• Officially, 43.63% of Indians are reported as Hindi speakers.
• Linguist G.N. Devy argues that this number includes 53 distinct languages (Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Magadhi, etc.), which are independent languages.
• Excluding these, true Hindi speakers are around 25% of India’s population.

Migration Data:

• 95% of Indians live within their home states, limiting the necessity of Hindi as a national lingua franca.
• Economic hubs in non-Hindi-speaking states attract more migration than the Hindi heartland.
• Imposing Hindi as a unifier is a flawed strategy.

Conclusion: Prioritizing Evidence-Based Policies

• NEP 2020’s mandatory three-language policy is driven by ideology rather than evidence.
• Instead of spreading resources thin over three languages, India should focus on strengthening two languages (regional + English) effectively.
• Singapore’s bilingual model and AI-based solutions present more pragmatic alternatives than enforcing a rigid three-language policy.
• A data-driven, skill-oriented approach will better serve India’s students in an increasingly globalized world.