NEP's thrust on mother tongue, the fate of English, and a migrant question

It may never be the language spoken in most homes and remain much smaller than mother tongues, but English will continue to have its place as one of two official languages in India, writes T N Ninan

The report stresses “the need for an educational policy which contains a built-in flexibility so that it can adjust to changing circumstances. It underscores the importance of experimentation and innovation... the single most important thing needed now is to get out of the rigidity of the present system”. Further, there is the need for the “introduction of work-experience (which includes manual work, production experience, etc) and social service as integral parts of general education at more or less all levels of education”. And finally, there should be “stress on moral education and inculcation of a sense of social responsibility”.