NCERT Chief Highlights Risks of Overemphasis on English-Medium Education

NCERT Director D P Saklani has criticized the obsession with English-medium schools, pointing out that many lack trained teachers. He argued this approach leads to knowledge loss and detaches children from their culture. The new National Education Policy advocates for mother-tongue instruction to better connect students to their roots.

NCERT Director D P Saklani has expressed serious concerns over the prevailing fascination with English-medium schools among parents, despite many of these institutions lacking adequately trained teachers, calling it 'no less than suicide'. Government schools, he emphasized, now offer quality education.

During an interaction with PTI editors, Saklani highlighted that cramming content in English has resulted in a significant loss of knowledge among children while distancing them from their roots and culture. He noted that parental obsession with English-medium schools persists, even when these schools lack qualified teachers, making the practice detrimental to students. 'This is why the new education policy stresses teaching in mother tongue,' he remarked.

Saklani also underscored the importance of a multilingual approach, which does not aim to eliminate any language but encourages learning multiple languages to foster a deeper understanding of one's heritage. An example cited was an initiative to create primers in tribal languages to enhance cognitive development among students. 'Language should be an enabler, not a barrier,' he said.

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