NEP: Mother-Tongue Enrolment Rises 28% in 14 States
Tribal districts in Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh show the sharpest gains, with dropout rates falling.
The Ministry of Education's second annual review of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 shows enrolment in mother-tongue-medium primary education rose 28 per cent across the 14 states that have operationalised the policy's tri-lingual instruction framework. The data, from the UDISE+ portal, covers roughly 11 million primary-school students.
Under the framework, early education is delivered in a child's home language while building competency in regional and national languages.
Key Highlights
- 28% rise in mother-tongue-medium primary enrolment across 14 states.
- Data covers about 11 million primary-school students.
- Jharkhand Classes 1-3 dropout fell from 14.2% to 6.8% in two years.
- Teacher training remains the main bottleneck.
- Private schools have been slower to adopt the framework.
Sharpest Gains in Tribal Belts
Gains are most pronounced in tribal and forest-belt districts. In Jharkhand, where Santhali and Ho medium instruction was piloted across 1,200 government schools, the Classes 1-3 dropout rate fell from 14.2 per cent to 6.8 per cent over two years. Officials credit children engaging with early literacy and numeracy in their home language.
Enrolment review at a glance
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Enrolment rise | 28% across 14 states |
| Students covered | About 11 million |
| Jharkhand dropout (Cl. 1-3) | 14.2% to 6.8% |
| Main constraint | Trained tribal-language teachers |
Teacher Training: the Bottleneck
The review flags teacher training as the persistent constraint. Shortages of teachers fluent in tribal languages are most acute in the northeast, where 23 scheduled languages are spoken across about 1.4 million school-going children. Bridge certification programmes in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh have cut hiring backlogs and may be mandated nationally.
Private Schools Lag
Gains are concentrated in government schools. Private unaided schools — about 40 per cent of enrolments — have been slower, citing curriculum continuity and parental demand for early English medium. The Ministry plans regulatory guidance for private schools next academic year.
Educationists welcomed the data but stressed that true learning gains need longitudinal measurement; a National Achievement Survey on NEP cohorts is due next year. The findings connect to wider debates about India's higher-education and research capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did enrolment rise?
By 28 per cent across the 14 states implementing the NEP framework.
Where were gains sharpest?
In tribal districts of Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
What is the biggest challenge?
A shortage of teachers trained in tribal and regional languages.
Why do private schools lag?
They cite curriculum continuity and parental demand for early English-medium instruction.
How will learning outcomes be measured?
Through a National Achievement Survey focused on NEP cohorts, due next year.
Sources
- Ministry of Education — NEP progress review
- UDISE+ education statistics portal
Abhijit Chowdhury
Staff Reporter
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