Jharkhand plans multilingual education policy to reflect state diversity
Chief Minister Hemant Soren directed officials to integrate mother tongues, Hindi and English into the proposed state language education policy.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday directed officials to frame the proposed Jharkhand State Language Education Policy to reflect the state's linguistic, cultural and social diversity, according to The Pioneer.
Reviewing a draft prepared by the School Education and Literacy Department at the Jharkhand Secretariat, Soren said the policy should use an additive multilingual approach. This method would allow students to learn additional languages without losing proficiency in their first language, integrating mother tongues, Hindi and English as complementary languages.
Soren noted that children often speak local languages at home while classroom teaching is conducted in Hindi or English. He stated that this language gap should not affect learning outcomes or classroom participation, particularly in the early years of schooling.
The Chief Minister also directed officials to ensure students receive spoken English classes before completing Class 12 to help them with higher education, employment and competitive examinations. He further suggested that hockey could be included as part of skill-based education to nurture sporting talent.
Officials informed Soren that a committee constituted in 2025 prepared the draft after studying educational practices in Jharkhand and other states. The proposed policy covers three stages: early childhood education to Class 2, Classes 3 to 5, and Classes 6 to 12.
The policy aims to integrate mother tongues and local languages into school education to make learning more effective and preserve indigenous languages. It also intends to focus on digital literacy and preparing students for modern classroom requirements.