CBSE Mandates Use of Mother Tongue for Early Education from 2025-26 Academic Session
CBSE Mandates Use of Mother Tongue for Early Education from 2025-26 Academic Session
In a major move towards implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed all affiliated schools to adopt the mother tongue or regional languages as the medium of instruction for students in the foundational and preparatory stages (up to Class 5).
The directive is part of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-2023), which is set to roll out from the academic session 2025–26. Schools have been instructed to begin immediate preparations, including language mapping and the formation of an NCF Implementation and Management Committee, which must be established by May 31, 2025.
According to CBSE, this initiative aims to enhance equity, cognitive growth, and inclusive learning across the early education system. The framework highlights that students should acquire literacy in their first language (R1), which must ideally be their mother tongue, regional, or state language. If the student group is linguistically diverse with no common mother tongue, the state language will serve as R1.
While students will develop oral skills in both R1 and a second language (R2), literacy will only be taught in R1. The CBSE expects that students will be able to read fluently, comprehend texts, write short sentences, and express themselves confidently in R1.
Key Implementation Deadlines:
- May 31, 2025: Schools must form the NCF Implementation Committee.
- End of Summer Break 2025: Completion of teacher training, language mapping, and curriculum realignment.
- July 5, 2025: Start of NCF implementation and submission of the first monthly progress report.
All CBSE-affiliated schools and students are advised to stay updated by regularly visiting the official CBSE website for guidelines, circulars, and additional information.
