NCERT Expands Multilingual Education With Textbooks in 22 Scheduled Languages and 93 Tribal-Language Primers

India is undertaking one of the largest multilingual school-education initiatives in its history, with the National Council of Educational Research and Training preparing textbooks for Grades 1 to 8 in all 22 languages recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi announced the initiative during NCERT’s 66th Foundation Day celebrations in New Delhi on September 1, 2026. Alongside the large-scale textbook translation programme, NCERT has prepared 121 foundational primers in different Indian languages, including 93 tribal languages.

The initiative forms part of the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023, both of which place considerable emphasis on teaching young children through their home language or mother tongue wherever possible.

The scale of the programme is significant because India’s school system operates across an extraordinary linguistic landscape encompassing major literary languages, regional languages, tribal languages and hundreds of local speech communities.

Textbooks Across All 22 Scheduled Languages

NCERT is preparing textbooks for Grades 1 to 8 in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

These are Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

The objective is to ensure that students studying through different Indian languages have access to the same new-generation curriculum instead of depending predominantly on English or Hindi editions.

The work has already progressed substantially.

Government information released before the Foundation Day showed that textbooks for Grades 1, 2, 3 and 6 had already been translated into all 22 Scheduled Languages and made digitally available.

For Grades 4, 5, 7 and 8, NCERT was working on a total of 460 translated textbooks, of which 368 had already been completed and made digitally available.

The latest announcement therefore represents the continuation of an ongoing programme rather than merely a future proposal.

121 Primers Take Education Beyond the Scheduled Languages

The initiative extends considerably beyond the Constitution’s 22 Scheduled Languages.

NCERT has developed 121 primers covering different Indian languages, of which 93 are tribal languages.

A primer is generally an introductory learning resource designed to help children acquire foundational literacy in a language. Such material can introduce the alphabet or writing system where applicable, vocabulary, simple sentences, illustrations and culturally familiar concepts.

These primers can be particularly valuable for children whose home language is different from the dominant language used in formal schooling.

In many tribal and multilingual regions, a child may enter school speaking a language used within the family and local community but encounter textbooks and classroom instruction in a different regional language.

That abrupt linguistic transition can make even basic concepts difficult to understand.

Providing introductory learning material in the child’s familiar language can help bridge the gap between home and school.

Tribal Languages Receive Greater Educational Space

The development of primers in 93 tribal languages represents one of the most notable dimensions of the programme.

India’s tribal communities possess a rich linguistic heritage, but many of these languages have historically had limited representation in formal school materials.

Some have well-established writing systems and literature, while others remain predominantly oral or are written using scripts associated with neighbouring languages.

Creating structured educational resources can therefore serve two objectives simultaneously: helping children learn more effectively and supporting the documentation and preservation of linguistic traditions.

The Ministry of Education and its institutions have already developed resources in languages including Mundari, Kharia, Ho, Kurukh, Korwa, Bhumij, Santali and Malto, among others.

Digital repositories are also increasingly being used to make tribal-language material available beyond individual schools.

Mother-Tongue Education at the Centre of NEP 2020

The multilingual textbook programme directly reflects one of the central recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020.

NEP encourages the use of the home language, mother tongue, local language or regional language as the medium of instruction wherever possible, particularly during the foundational and primary years.

The policy is based partly on the principle that young children generally understand new ideas more easily when those concepts are introduced through a language they already speak and understand.

The Right to Education Act also states that, as far as practicable, the medium of instruction should be in a child’s mother tongue.

The new NCERT programme seeks to provide the practical educational material required to make that objective more feasible.

A mother-tongue policy cannot function effectively merely through instructions to teachers. Schools need textbooks, teacher guides, dictionaries, primers, digital resources and assessment material in the relevant languages.

Creating these resources across dozens of languages is therefore one of the most complex parts of implementing multilingual education.

New Textbooks Already Introduced Up to Grade 9

The language initiative forms part of a much larger transformation of NCERT textbooks.

Following NEP 2020, NCERT developed the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage in 2022 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education in 2023.

New textbooks aligned with these frameworks have subsequently been introduced for Grades 1 through 9.

The curriculum increasingly emphasises competency-based learning, conceptual understanding, experiential education, creativity and critical thinking rather than excessive dependence on memorisation.

NCERT is now developing textbooks for the remaining senior classes, with the government indicating that work for Grades 10 to 12 is being undertaken on a mission basis.

The simultaneous development of new textbooks and their translation into multiple languages makes the current revision considerably larger than a conventional textbook update.

Indian Knowledge Systems Integrated Into New Curriculum

The Education Minister also highlighted the greater incorporation of Indian Knowledge Systems into the new textbooks.

This approach is intended to expose students to India’s intellectual, scientific, cultural and literary traditions while maintaining contemporary educational standards.

The broader curriculum reform has sought to incorporate examples and material drawn from Indian history, mathematics, philosophy, literature, ecology, arts and scientific traditions where appropriate.

The government argues that this allows students to encounter global knowledge while remaining connected with India’s historical and cultural context.

Multilingual publication strengthens that objective further because knowledge rooted in Indian cultural traditions can be presented directly through the country’s own languages rather than exclusively through translations from English-medium material.

Translation Lab to Accelerate Indian-Language Content

NCERT’s Foundation Day also saw the inauguration of a new Translation Lab.

The facility is intended to support the creation of educational content in Indian languages and could become increasingly important as NCERT expands textbook availability across multiple linguistic groups.

Large-scale educational translation involves considerably more than replacing words in one language with their equivalents in another.

Scientific terminology, mathematical concepts, cultural references and age-appropriate expressions must remain accurate and understandable.

Regional variations also have to be considered, particularly in languages spoken across large geographical areas.

A dedicated translation ecosystem can help improve standardisation and quality while reducing the time required to make newly developed educational material available in multiple languages.

Robotics and AI Enter the Education Agenda

NCERT’s transformation is also extending in the opposite technological direction.

Alongside the Translation Lab, the Education Minister inaugurated a Robotics Learning Centre and an upgraded television studio at NCERT headquarters.

The government wants students to develop greater familiarity with artificial intelligence, digital technologies, problem solving and responsible technology use.

Joshi said curricula and textbooks must continue evolving as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life.

The objective is therefore not to choose between traditional languages and new technology, but to combine the two.

A student learning in Santali, Tamil, Bodo or Marathi should ultimately have access to the same opportunities to understand robotics, artificial intelligence, computing and emerging technologies as a student learning primarily through English.

AI Could Eventually Transform Multilingual Education

Artificial intelligence could itself become an important tool for India’s multilingual education programme.

Translation models, speech-recognition technology, text-to-speech systems and generative AI can significantly reduce the cost and time required to create educational material across multiple languages.

The government is already building language-focused digital infrastructure through projects such as BHASHINI and BharatGen, covering the 22 Scheduled Languages and extending support to additional Indian languages.

However, educational translation requires unusually high standards of accuracy.

Machine-generated material must therefore be subjected to academic and linguistic review, particularly when dealing with children’s textbooks, scientific concepts and culturally sensitive content.

Used carefully, AI could eventually make it feasible to provide a far larger range of educational resources in languages that previously lacked sufficient commercial publishing demand.

Digital Platforms Expand Access

NCERT is also distributing educational material increasingly through digital platforms.

Initiatives including DIKSHA, PM eVIDYA, e-Jaadui Pitara and Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya allow learning resources to be accessed outside conventional printed textbooks.

Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya already hosts primers across a wide range of Indian languages, including several tribal and Himalayan languages.

Digital distribution is particularly valuable for low-volume languages where printing and distributing large numbers of physical books may be economically difficult.

A digital repository allows the same material to be accessed nationally while physical editions can be prioritised for schools and regions where they are most needed.

A Major Challenge for Teachers

Producing multilingual textbooks is only one part of the transition.

Teachers must also be capable of using them effectively.

In linguistically diverse classrooms, students may speak several different home languages even though the school formally operates through one medium of instruction.

Teachers therefore need training in multilingual pedagogy, bilingual teaching techniques and methods for helping children transition between their home language and the language used for later education.

NCERT has been providing curriculum and teacher-training support to states and Union Territories as well as school systems including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Army Welfare Education Society institutions.

The effectiveness of the multilingual programme will ultimately depend heavily on this teacher-support ecosystem.

Education Can Also Help Preserve Languages

The initiative could have consequences extending beyond classroom performance.

Languages survive most strongly when younger generations continue to speak, read and write them.

When a language disappears from formal education, younger speakers may gradually shift toward a more dominant regional or national language, particularly when they associate that language with greater educational and employment opportunities.

Introducing primers and educational resources can give smaller languages greater institutional visibility.

This does not necessarily mean that every language must become the permanent medium of education through secondary school. Instead, foundational materials can allow children to begin learning through a familiar language before progressively acquiring regional, national and international languages.

Such multilingual ability can preserve local linguistic identities without limiting students’ access to wider educational opportunities.

From 22 Constitutional Languages to India’s Wider Linguistic Heritage

The most important feature of NCERT’s latest programme may ultimately be its two-level structure.

The first level ensures that the country’s 22 constitutionally recognised Scheduled Languages receive access to the new national curriculum.

The second reaches beyond that list through 121 language primers, including 93 tribal languages.

Together, these initiatives acknowledge that India’s educational diversity is considerably broader than the languages formally listed in the Constitution.

The challenge now is implementation. Translation quality, availability of trained teachers, timely printing, digital access and coordination with state education systems will determine whether multilingual resources actually reach children in classrooms.

Instead of forcing linguistic diversity to adapt to a narrow textbook system, NCERT is increasingly attempting to adapt the textbook system to India’s linguistic diversity.

For a country in which millions of children begin school speaking a language different from the dominant language of formal instruction, that shift could have significant consequences for both learning outcomes and the preservation of India’s extraordinary linguistic heritage.

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