‘Mother Tongue’ and ‘Vernacular’: An Examination of the Terms in the Context of NEP 2020

Abstract

The Draft New Education Policy (DNEP) of 484 pages was released by Ministry of Human

Resource Development in 2019. After incorporating the suggestions given, The National

Education Policy was approved by the Union Cabinet of India in July 2020. The NEP 2020

replaces the previous National Policy on Education 1986. The objective of such a move is

certainly, to bridge the gap that exists in the Indian education system- a colonial inheritance

that clearly tilts in favour of the elite. English and vernacular are the two mediums of

instruction that educational systems currently use, where vernacular largely translates to the

official state language