‘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