‘Education in mother tongue initiating new form of justice’: PM Modi on NEP anniversary

The new National Education Policy (NEP) will give due respect and credit to every language in the country and those who try to politicise language for their selfish interests will have to shut their shops, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. During his speech at the “Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam” commemorating the third anniversary of the NEP’s launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed that the greatest injustice faced by students is the practice of assessing them solely based on their language proficiency rather than recognizing their true capabilities and potential, as reported by PTI.

“The National Educational Policy will give due respect and credit to every language in the country…. Those who try to politicise language for their selfish interests will now have to shut their shops,” the prime minister said.

“Education in the mother tongue is initiating a new form of justice for students in India. It is also a very significant step towards social justice,” he added.

Recognizing the significance of languages and their impact on development, the Prime Minister emphasized how many developed countries have gained a competitive advantage by promoting and utilizing their local languages effectively.

Drawing attention to Europe as an example, he highlighted that most European countries prioritize the use of their native languages in various domains. However, the Prime Minister expressed concern about the prevailing attitude in India, where the existence of a diverse array of well-established languages is sometimes perceived as a sign of backwardness.

“As a result, children in the rural areas remain the most affected. The country has now begun to shun this belief with the advent of the NEP. Even at the United Nations, I speak in an Indian language,” he added.

Modi underlined that subjects ranging from social science to engineering will now be taught in Indian languages. “When the students are confident in a language, their skills and talent will emerge without any restrictions,” he said.

The prime minister said the world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities and several countries are approaching the government for setting up Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campuses there.

“The world is looking at India as a nursery of new possibilities. Many countries are approaching us to open IIT campuses there. Two IIT campuses — one in Tanzania and one in Abu Dhabi — are already about to start operations…. Various global universities are also reaching out to us, expressing their interest in setting up campuses in India,” he said.

Modi said the NEP aims at making India a hub of research and innovation and has given equal importance to traditional knowledge systems and futuristic technology.

He also asked schools to make students aware of subjects such as disaster management, climate change and clean energy.

During the event, the Prime Minister took a significant step by disbursing the initial funds for the PM SHRI scheme.

The schools selected under this scheme aim to foster student development, ensuring they become proactive, productive, and responsible members of society, in line with the vision outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) of building an inclusive, equitable, and diverse nation.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister also unveiled educational and skill-based curriculum books, now available in 12 different Indian languages.