Chhattisgarh is steadily expanding mother-tongue-based education in its government schools, particularly across Bastar and other linguistically diverse regions, as part of efforts to make classrooms more inclusive and improve foundational learning. Implemented under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the initiative encourages children to begin their education in the language they speak at home before gradually transitioning to Hindi. The experts believe that the approach is helping improve comprehension, confidence and classroom participation, especially among first-generation learners in tribal communities.
The programme reflects a broader shift in the state’s education policy from focusing solely on school enrolment to ensuring that children remain engaged in learning. In districts such as Bastar, where language differences have historically affected classroom outcomes, the initiative seeks to make schools more familiar and welcoming for young learners.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that the multilingual education initiative is aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, which advocates teaching children in their mother tongue during the foundational years. The Chief Minister said that the education delivered in a child’s native language strengthens understanding, supports cognitive development and lays a stronger academic foundation. He said the initiative also contributes to preserving local languages and cultural traditions while making education more meaningful for children in tribal and border districts.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has expanded the multilingual education programme to 6,937 schools across Bastar. Around 2.60 lakh primary students are currently covered under the initiative with the support of 7,650 trained teachers. For students of Classes I and II, SCERT has prepared bilingual textbooks in nine tribal and regional languages and dialects. These include Dorli, Halbi, Bhatri, Dhurvi, Madia, Chhattisgarhi and three regional variants of Gondi spoken in Kanker, Bastar and Dantewada.
The classroom model is designed to help children learn naturally during their first years in school. Each bilingual textbook carries the Hindi text on one page and the corresponding local language on the opposite page. Since the tribal and regional languages are printed in Devanagari script, teachers can comfortably use both languages while gradually introducing Hindi as the second language. Education officials say this approach allows children to understand concepts in a familiar language before moving to a broader curriculum.
Teachers working under the programme report noticeable changes in classroom behaviour. Many say that the children who were once hesitant to speak or participate now interact more confidently because lessons begin in a language they understand. Schools also try to post teachers who are familiar with local languages, while SCERT regularly organises training programmes on bilingual teaching methods to strengthen classroom delivery.
The multilingual initiative is supported by an extensive language survey conducted jointly by Samagra Shiksha Chhattisgarh, SCERT and the Language and Learning Foundation (LLF).
The survey covered more than 4.12 lakh Class I students studying in 29,755 primary schools across the state to understand the languages spoken in their homes. It found that nearly 75 per cent of children initially faced difficulties in learning because the language used in school differed from the language spoken at home.
The researchers have identified 23 home languages during the survey. Chhattisgarhi emerged as the most widely spoken language, accounting for 65.83 per cent of students, followed by Surgujia (9.38 per cent), Hindi (5.65 per cent), Halbi (4.19 per cent) and Sadri (3.97 per cent). The programme has also been extended to cater to the linguistic diversity of Chhattisgarh’s border districts.
Recognising that several non-tribal regional languages are also spoken in these areas, bilingual textbooks have been prepared in Bangla for Pakhanjur in Kanker district, Telugu for parts of Bijapur, Odia for areas of Bastar and Marathi for parts of Rajnandgaon. Officials say this ensures that children from border communities also receive early education in their mother tongue.
Encouraged by the results among students in Classes I and II, the state government is now expanding the multilingual model to Classes III, IV and V. At present, nearly 25 per cent of the Hindi curriculum has already been adapted into Halbi and the three regional variants of Gondi for upper primary classes, benefiting around 1.29 lakh students in Bastar.
Education experts say mother-tongue-based learning enables children to grasp concepts more effectively before confronting unfamiliar languages. They believe the approach has strengthened early literacy, increased classroom participation, boosted confidence and reduced the likelihood of students dropping out during the initial years of schooling. As the programme expands, Chhattisgarh’s multilingual education initiative is increasingly being viewed as a model that combines inclusive learning with the preservation of the state’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage.