VP Venkaiah Naidu calls for education in mother tongue till Class V

HYDERABAD: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, on Sunday, said that mother tongue must be the primary medium of instruction in schools, at least till Class V. He further said that educating a child in a language that was not spoken at home could prove a big impediment in learning, especially at the primary stage. The Vice President was speaking at the inaugural session of a webinar organised by the Union Ministries of Education and Culture on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.

Referring to various subjects, he said that use of mother tongue in the initial stages of education could boost a child’s self-esteem and enhance creativity. Venkaiah Naidu called the New Education Policy a progressive document and urged for its implementation in letter and spirit.

Earlier in the day, addressing a programme organised by the Swarna Bharat Trust at Muchintal near Hyderabad, the Vice President underscored importance of using local languages in higher education as well, including in technical education. He also stressed on the need of utilising local languages in courts, so that the judiciary could be made easily accessible to common man. 

During the webinar, he expressed concern at the state of endangered languages and appreciated the Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages (SPPEL) of the Union Ministry of Education. 

He also advised people to learn as many languages as possible, along with developing a strong foundation in one’s mother tongue, and added that parents and educators must encourage children to learn an international language apart from mother language and national languages.