Telugu-centric mother-tongue-based multilingual education under nep 2020: An exploratory study within the Bharatiya Bhasha Pariwar framework

Positive developments for equitable education for Indian languages include a strong advocacy for mother-tongue based Multilingual education (MTB-MLE), especially at the foundational and preparatory stages, and the importance of MTB education per NEP 2020 4.11. NEP 2020 has a broad set of principles and yet offers little language-specific guidance for curriculum design and development. This paper attempts to fill this gap by developing a Telugu model of MTB-MLE within the framework of the Bharatiya Bhasha Pariwar, which perceives Indian languages as a family of languages rather than as separate and individual systems.

The paper attempts to support the language pedagogy of MTB-MLE for the other Indian languages of the multilingual policy of NEP 2020 by proposing the Telugu language as a cognitive and cultural anchor for the effective/ transfer/ acquisition of the languages of Hindi and English. The study proposes a unique curriculum framework of the Interlinked Linguistic Transfer Model (ILTM) to support and promote multilingualism. This model tackles the pedagogical gap of integrating languages at the level of phonology, semantics, and culture. The paper has three primary objectives:

                       i.          To assess the pedagogy of the English and Telugu bilingual instruction within the NEP 2020 framework.

                     ii.          To architect the Bharatiya Bhasha Pariwar concept in curriculum design, and

                   iii.          To propose implementable strategies for multilingual pedagogy and assessment

Methodologically, the study takes a conceptual and analytical perspective, integrating elements of linguistic theory, edu-psychology, policy studies, and research in multilingual education. Language policy documents, studies and pedagogy are used in tandem to develop a critical synthesis of a language oriented curriculum framework.

The paper’s relevance to current discussions on language education stems from the fact that it addresses the disjuncture between the policy perspective and the classroom. By placing Telugu in a developed multilingual paradigm, the study illustrates the potential of the NEP 2020 in achieving linguistic equity, cognitive and cultural development, sustaining cultural continuity, and fostering integration and global connectedness.