In line with a recent reform as per the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently directed its affiliated schools to focus on the use of the local language in the Foundational and Preparatory Stages of schooling. The May 22 directive is based on the hypothesis that children learn better if they are instructed in their home language or a widely used state or regional language, especially during the initial years of schooling from Nursery to Grade V.

The CBSE circular states the first language of literacy (R1) would ideally be the child’s home language or a widely used regional language. Where classrooms are heterogeneous or resources are limited, schools can make the state language R1. Instruction will be conducted in that language until the child acquires literacy foundation in the second language, like English. Language mapping exercises and aligning the curricula thereof have been requested to be done by schools as per the board by the first week of July, when schools re-open from summer vacation.

CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, while addressing the media in Delhi, underlined the point that children learn complex subjects such as Mathematics and Science better when they are taught in their mother tongue in the first few years. Taking an example, he said that if a school in Bengaluru is studying English and Kannada and most children have Kannada as their first language, then Maths should be studied in Kannada so that understanding can be imposed upon them. But he knew the working reality, particularly in the urban areas where there is greater linguistic diversity and individual schools could not possibly cope with each of the dialects or the languages of communication used in the home.

Singh made it clear that the action is voluntary and not mandatory. The board invites schools to inform the board about what they are going through in implementation. CBSE is also organizing seminars and workshops in its schools of excellence, such as the one on June 29, in order to provide advice and support.

NCF 2023 has a strong belief in a pedagogy that is equity-based, multilingual, inclusive, and cognitively empowering. According to the new framework, students are motivated to acquire a minimum of three languages, two of which must be Indian ones. English, rather than being the central medium, is proposed to be introduced gradually as R2 or R3. This is an important pedagogic change in increasing regional languages and conserving culture.

Schools have already started working on incorporating the new vision of the CBSE. ITL Public School at Delhi, for example, introduced an Action Research Project recently to gauge stakeholders’ preference for languages of instruction. The school had created a ‘Language Implementation Committee’ in March 2025 and completed an extensive language mapping survey of students and parents from Foundational to Preparatory levels. The information presented indicated that 64.3% of the students used Hindi as the home language, followed by decreasing levels of Punjabi and Haryanvi speakers. For the question of whether parents wanted their home language to be utilized or not, 85.17% of them was affirmative, though about 10.6% feared the status perceived for English in the modern era.

Even though students, parents, and grandparents used 21 different languages, the school concluded that it would not teach in more than one mother tongue. Hindi, however, being the most widely spoken language and the state regional language as well, was selected to be R1. English is R2, with teaching bilingual. The school’s headmistress, Sudha Acharya, specified that the intention is not to reduce English learning but to increase students’ awareness of their cultural heritage with multilingual education.” She also added that the successful implementation would depend on a well-defined language policy, resource mobilisation for it, and extensive orientation of teachers and parents.

BMN Public School at Bengaluru North is experiencing issues particular to rural areas. Principal Vanitha Lokesh SK further said that parents impose English learning with the belief that their child should already possess a mother tongue, but local languages are not ruled out. Kannada is compulsorily taught in state-run CBSE schools and the school teaches Kannada, Hindi, and English. Lokesh emphasized that the board’s guidance must be followed whether it is overcoming cultural resistance and logistical difficulties.

DPS Hinjawadi in Pune is one such perspective from the urban hub. Principal Jaya Parekh shared that English continues to be the major language of study, yet Hindi and Marathi are taught early on to promote multilingualism. The local languages have their niche in storytelling, singing, and classroom conversations by the teachers to render the setting inclusive and emotionally nurturing for young students. Language mapping of school revealed that the majority of students belong to English and Hindi dominant homes, then followed by Kannada and Marathi. Marathi was offered as a compulsory language from the very Foundation stage, and rooms were offered with more than one language in a natural mix-up for enhanced learning.

Parekh emphasized the application of CBSE and NCERT materials, like the “Jadui Pitara” kit, which play a vital role in transforming circular’s vision of multilingualism into a reality.

As increasingly more of India’s schools join this revolution toward local languages, the program is a revolutionary move in early learning. Yes, there are still problems—largely in multilingual cities and impoverished rural districts—but the focus on mother languages and familiar languages is intended to give children a steady, embracing foundation for a lifetime of learning.