Integrating Multilingual Education in India: A Critical Analysis of NEP 2020 and Its Implications for Regional Languages

Abstract

 If God had so wished, he would have made all Indians speak with one language ... the unity of India has been and shall always be unity in diversity.

- Rabindranath Tagore

   Tagore's words beautifully encapsulate the essence of India's soul, highlighting the enchanting diversity of languages in 'Incredible India.'  As a nation, India cherishes the spirit of harmony in its cultural mosaic despite the multitude of languages and pluralism.  India's unity is rooted in embracing these differences and nurturing the spirit of peaceful coexistence and shared identity.  The 2011 Census of India reveals that 'more than 19,500 languages or dialects are spoken in India as mother tongue…There are 121 languages which are spoken by 10,000 or more people in India (Press Trust of India).  As the land of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burmese, and Semito-Hamitic language families, India ranks 4^th in the world in terms of the number of spoken languages.  However, the Indian Constitution officially recognizes only 22 languages –

Keywords- NEP 2020, Education in India, Critical Analysis, Implications, Regional Languages.