Bihar to introduce regional languages in primary classrooms from next academic session According to PTI, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has been tasked with developing textbooks in six regional languages – Bhojpuri, Magahi, Surjapuri, Bajjika, Maithili and Angika. Speaking to PTI, Tiwary said the decision to introduce one regional language for students in Classes 1 and 2 had been taken in accordance with the provisions of NEP 2020. The arrangement will subsequently be extended to students of Classes 3 to 5, for whom textbooks in the respective regional languages will also be developed. SCERT Developing Textbooks In Six Regional Languages SCERT Director Yatendra Kumar Pal confirmed that the council is preparing textbooks in all six languages for Classes 1 and 2. The books are being developed in consultation with teachers and language experts and will be introduced from the next academic session. Jainendra Kumar Dost, a lecturer at SCERT who is coordinating workshops to finalise the textbook content, said the council had recently organised a workshop and would conduct two more such programmes. He said the initiative aims to provide students with opportunities to acquire knowledge through their regional languages, in accordance with the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023 and NEP 2020. NEP 2020 recommends that the medium of instruction in schools should preferably be the home language, mother tongue, local or regional language until at least Class 5, wherever possible. The policy emphasises mother-tongue-based learning at the foundational and primary levels to improve conceptual understanding among children while preserving India's linguistic diversity. According to Dost, the initiative will also help students connect more closely with their local culture, festivals, fairs, occupations and agricultural practices. He added that learning and conversing in familiar regional languages could help children adapt to the school environment more naturally and strengthen their confidence. Lakshima Sareen is a Senior Copy Editor with the Digital Education Desk at Times Now, specialising in education news, exam updates, and policy reporti... View More