Mother tongue based multilingual education curriculum design for tribal learners in Telangana

Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) has become an important curriculum and pedagogical solution for enhancing indigenous learners' educational access, equity, and quality. With over 19,500 mother tongues recorded in the Census of India (2011), 705 of which are categorized as Scheduled and non-Scheduled languages, India is one of the most linguistically varied nations in the world. Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities speak a large percentage of these languages. According to Census 2011 statistics, Telangana is home to more than 35 Scheduled Tribe communities. Major tribal languages spoken by around 10% of the state's population include Lambada (Banjara), Gondi, Koya, Kolami, Chenchu, Yerukula, and Naikpod. Telugu continues to be the predominant and frequently sole language of instruction in government schools despite this linguistic variety, posing significant obstacles for tribal children in their early schooling. The necessity, importance, and difficulties of MTB-MLE in Telangana are examined in this paper, with a particular emphasis on curriculum design. It examines how a curriculum that is both culturally sensitive and inclusive, in line with the three-language formula (L1–L2–L3), can improve learning results, lower dropout rates, and boost tribal learners' self-esteem. The advantages of MTB-MLE, policy alignment with NEP 2020, and useful techniques for creating successful curriculum for multilingual tribal classrooms are also covered in this study.According to the study's findings, MTB-MLE-based curriculum design is a viable and revolutionary strategy for guaranteeing inclusive and equitable education for Telangana's tribal students.