Hyderabad: With the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) mandating mother tongue as the medium of instruction from pre-primary to grade 2 starting July 1, schools in Hyderabad say they are not prepared for the shift. Citing the city’s cosmopolitan character, school heads argue that implementing a single mother tongue across classrooms is impractical. “Students here come from different states and speak different languages. How can we adopt just one mother tongue?” a principal asked, pointing to the linguistic diversity in classrooms.
Several school administrators expressed concern about the availability of qualified teachers who are fluent in multiple regional languages. While some already use a student’s native language to clarify specific topics, they stressed that teaching entire subjects in one mother tongue is not feasible due to the multilingual composition of classes.
A senior CBSE principal said the rule should remain optional and not be enforced uniformly. “It should be applied based on each student’s ability. Parents are also uneasy about regional language instruction, especially in urban settings. Even among Telugu-speaking families, many still prefer English as the medium,” the principal explained.
Another school head noted that while their pre-primary teachers make efforts to comfort students using their mother tongue when needed, the broader curriculum is still in English. “This policy might be more suitable for rural schools. Ultimately, the goal of education is comprehension, irrespective of the language,” the principal said, adding that their teachers can teach in Telugu, but the subject material will remain in English.
Highlighting a structured support system, a principal from another CBSE school said they have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) committee that coordinates with subject teachers to address specific student challenges. “At present, it’s practically difficult to adopt mother tongue as the primary medium in CBSE schools,” the principal pointed out.
