The Importance of Mother Tongue in Fostering Creative and Critical Thinking: Insights from the Union Education Minister
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) In the midst of the week-long ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav’ festivities, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed on Wednesday that the mother tongue is fundamental to the learning process for young children, aiding them in cultivating their creative and critical thinking abilities.
The Minister, in an article regarding ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav’, stated that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will act as a catalyst in recovering our linguistic pride, emphasizing that our linguistic diversity is pivotal to achieving educational excellence. He also echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dedication to maintaining the country’s linguistic diversity.
Schools nationwide are conducting events under the Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav to celebrate linguistic heritage and honor the birthday of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati on December 11.
“Linguistic pride is at the heart of Bharat’s civilizational ethos. All Indian languages are national languages, embodying the essence of Bharatiyata. Linguistic diversity fortifies national unity and aids in realizing the vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. Therefore, each individual in our nation should wear their linguistic pride as a badge of honor,” Pradhan emphasized.
He mentioned that 80 percent of Bharat’s populace identifies as non-English, native language speakers, and thus possess an innate ability to excel in their mother tongue.
“The mother tongue is central to profound learning, as our languages serve not merely as communication tools but as repositories of history, tradition, and folklore, safeguarding the collective wisdom of generations and providing a distinctive worldview,” he articulated.
Expounding on how the mother tongue aids in a smooth transition, he remarked, “Children, filled with creativity and emotional intelligence, thrive when their education commences in their native language. A foundation in their mother tongue creates a seamless connection from home to classroom, guiding them from ‘mother’ tongue to ‘other’ tongue — transitioning from speaking to writing, vocabulary to semantics, and language to subject understanding.”
He further elaborated, “Education in the mother tongue encourages a natural evolution from basic comprehension to intricate thought. Bharat’s linguistic diversity is a treasure trove of both intellectual and cultural riches.”
PM Modi also shared the Union Minister’s enlightening note on social media, emphasizing that education in mother tongues establishes the groundwork for deeper learning, fosters creativity, and preserves one’s cultural heritage.
Recently, the Union Cabinet broadened the scope of classical languages by adding five more languages - Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.
