Rooted in Language, Soaring in Learning: NEP-2020 and the Northeast

There are few experiences as quietly transformative as a school language fair in the Northeast. On the surface, it is a kaleidoscope of activity: children reciting folktales, performing tribal songs, writing letters in multiple languages, and translating local proverbs. But beneath the surface, it is a rehearsal for something far larger: the future of Indian education as envisioned in the National Education Policy 2020. NEP-2020 is not simply a document about curriculum or exams; it is a blueprint for an education that nurtures identity, strengthens culture, and builds intellect simultaneously. In a region where more than 220 languages coexist and every valley, hill, and riverbank carries a unique linguistic signature, the policy’s principles find both their greatest challenge and their most urgent relevance.

For decades, schools in the Northeast imposed languages foreign to children’s daily lives. English or dominant regional languages were treated as necessary for mobility, while tribal languages—Mising, Karbi, Tiwa, Rabha, Dimasa, Ao, Konyak, and Khasi—were ignored or sidelined. The human cost was subtle but real: children struggled to grasp basic concepts, participation was low, and self-confidence suffered. Parents, understandably, enrolled their children in English-medium schools, fearing that cultural retention might come at the cost of opportunity. NEP-2020 directly addresses this tension. By anchoring early education in the mother tongue, it recognises that identity and competence need not be opposing forces.

The evidence supporting this approach is compelling. UNESCO and UNICEF consistently report that children learn 30–40% faster when taught in their first language. Indian studies echo this. A 2023 NCERT assessment found that primary students taught in their home language scored nearly 20% higher in foundational literacy and numeracy than peers taught in a second language from the outset. Azim Premji University research confirms that these children transition more effectively to English and Hindi later, often outperforming peers who started with English. In the multilingual Northeast, where a single district can host half a dozen languages, these findings are especially significant: foundational learning must meet children where they are, not where policy previously assumed they should be.

The human impact is vivid. In Karbi Anglong, students taught mathematics in Karbi demonstrated a 25% improvement within six months, and in Meghalaya, Khasi-medium story sessions have transformed previously shy students into confident narrators. These are not just academic gains; they are victories of self-esteem, cultural affirmation, and civic pride. A child who recites a folktale in her own language understands implicitly that her identity is valued. When she translates the same story into Hindi or English, she learns to navigate multiple linguistic worlds without abandoning her roots. In a country seeking to balance diversity with unity, these skills are priceless.

Beyond literacy, NEP-2020’s approach aligns with cultural nationalism by integrating indigenous knowledge systems into mainstream education. The Northeast offers abundant examples: terrace farming techniques, forest management practices, folk mathematics, and local astronomy are all embedded in tribal languages. Teaching these subjects in the mother tongue does more than preserve knowledge—it strengthens pride, belonging, and intellectual engagement. When a child learns sustainable farming techniques in Ao or Karbi, she internalises both practical wisdom and cultural continuity, illustrating that education can cultivate both competence and conscience.

Language fairs, storytelling exercises, and peer-to-peer translation activities are not mere celebrations; they are pedagogical interventions that operationalise NEP’s vision. A child translating a Dimasa proverb into Assamese and then English is practising critical thinking, comparative reasoning, and linguistic dexterity all at once. Such exercises create learners who are not merely literate—they are culturally literate, socially confident, and prepared to contribute meaningfully to both their community and the nation.

Challenges remain. Many tribal languages lack standardised scripts, trained teachers, and structured pedagogical resources. Parents’ fears about English proficiency persist, shaped by decades of societal conditioning that equated success with English fluency. These are real hurdles, and their resolution requires thoughtful policy implementation, adequate funding, and active community involvement. Yet the Northeast also offers a proving ground: a region capable of demonstrating how linguistic plurality can coexist with high-quality education, showing the rest of India that cultural richness and modern learning are complementary, not contradictory.

The stakes extend beyond classrooms. Language-rooted education fosters national integration and cultural confidence simultaneously. Students learn that being rooted in their own culture does not isolate them from the larger Indian narrative. Rather, it equips them with the intellectual tools, emotional grounding, and moral confidence to engage with the broader world. Multilingual children in the Northeast grow up with flexibility, adaptability, and cognitive resilience—skills essential in a globalised world. NEP-2020 recognises these benefits and, if implemented effectively, can transform the region into a model for the nation.

Data reinforces these possibilities. ASER, NCERT, and Pratham studies show measurable gains in literacy and comprehension through mother-tongue–based education. State initiatives in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya are already yielding promising results, with more confident students, higher participation, and improved conceptual understanding. But the true impact goes beyond statistics: it lies in children discovering the dignity of their own voices, the value of their heritage, and the confidence to navigate multiple worlds with skill and pride.

Ultimately, NEP-2020 is more than an education policy; it is a civilisational statement. In the Northeast, its implementation is an opportunity to reclaim languages, preserve cultural memory, and strengthen India’s intellectual ecosystem. When children narrate folktales, perform tribal songs, and explore their mother tongue alongside Hindi and English, they embody the policy’s vision: a generation that carries identity with confidence, intellect with curiosity, and tradition with innovation. It is an education that respects the past, empowers the present, and prepares for the future—a model of learning that integrates cultural nationalism with modern capability.

The language fair, in this context, is not just an event. It is a microcosm of India’s educational renaissance. It demonstrates that policies succeed not in documents or speeches, but in classrooms where students engage, teachers innovate, and communities take pride in their knowledge systems. Here, children learn the most important lesson of all: to belong to their culture, their community, and their nation simultaneously. The Northeast, with its extraordinary linguistic diversity and cultural wealth, may well lead India in showing how education rooted in identity can produce citizens capable of both pride and progress.