SSC Stenographer 2026 – 15 September 2026 Shift 2 · Official language (Part XVII) and Eighth Schedule languages
Q1. In the context of India's commitment to multilingualism in education, which of the following statements best reflects the constitutional mandate, educational policy approach, and implementation challenges of promoting mother tongue-based instruction at the foundational level?
- (a) The Constitution of India mandates compulsory education only in Hindi for all primary-level students, and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 supports this by promoting Hindi as the sole medium of instruction
- (b) Article 350A of the Constitution imposes an obligation on every State to provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage, but this is limited only to Scheduled Tribe children.
- (c) The National Education Policy 2020 encourages mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction at least until Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8, for all children, aligning with Article 350A, though actual implementation faces linguistic diversity and resource constraints.
- (d) Article 29 of the Constitution provides for the right to conserve one's distinct language but does not recognize the use of any language other than English in educational institutions.
Answer & solution
Answer: (c) The National Education Policy 2020 encourages mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction at least until Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8, for all children, aligning with Article 350A, though actual implementation faces linguistic diversity and resource constraints.
Answer: Option 3 — The National Education Policy 2020 encourages mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction at least until Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8, for all children …
NEP 2020 says the medium of instruction should be the home language, mother tongue or local language "wherever possible" until Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
This rests on Article 350A, which asks every State to provide primary-stage instruction in the mother tongue to children of linguistic minorities — not only Scheduled Tribes, and never Hindi alone.
Revision note — Language provisions and NEP 2020
• Article 350A (inserted by the 7th Amendment, 1956): every State to provide instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage for children of linguistic minority groups.
• Article 350B: a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, appointed by the President, reporting to the President.
• Article 29(1): any section of citizens may conserve its distinct language, script or culture; Article 30: minorities may establish and administer educational institutions.
• Article 343: Hindi in Devanagari is the official language of the Union; Article 351 directs the Union to promote Hindi; the Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages.
• Article 21A and the RTE Act, 2009: free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 (86th Amendment, 2002).
• NEP 2020: approved on 29 July 2020 on the Kasturirangan Committee report; replaced the 1986 policy; brought the 5+3+3+4 structure and a flexible three-language formula.
Do not mix these up
• Article 350A vs Article 29 — 350A is a direction to the State about the medium of instruction; Article 29 is a Fundamental Right to conserve a language.
• Official language vs medium of instruction — Hindi is the Union's official language (Article 343); no article makes it the medium of school teaching.
Also asked from this topic: the structural reform of NEP 2020 (5+3+3+4); the officer under Article 350B (Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities); the article protecting minority interests (Article 29).
NEP 2020 says the medium of instruction should be the home language, mother tongue or local language "wherever possible" until Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
This rests on Article 350A, which asks every State to provide primary-stage instruction in the mother tongue to children of linguistic minorities — not only Scheduled Tribes, and never Hindi alone.
Revision note — Language provisions and NEP 2020
• Article 350A (inserted by the 7th Amendment, 1956): every State to provide instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage for children of linguistic minority groups.
• Article 350B: a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, appointed by the President, reporting to the President.
• Article 29(1): any section of citizens may conserve its distinct language, script or culture; Article 30: minorities may establish and administer educational institutions.
• Article 343: Hindi in Devanagari is the official language of the Union; Article 351 directs the Union to promote Hindi; the Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages.
• Article 21A and the RTE Act, 2009: free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 (86th Amendment, 2002).
• NEP 2020: approved on 29 July 2020 on the Kasturirangan Committee report; replaced the 1986 policy; brought the 5+3+3+4 structure and a flexible three-language formula.
Do not mix these up
• Article 350A vs Article 29 — 350A is a direction to the State about the medium of instruction; Article 29 is a Fundamental Right to conserve a language.
• Official language vs medium of instruction — Hindi is the Union's official language (Article 343); no article makes it the medium of school teaching.
Also asked from this topic: the structural reform of NEP 2020 (5+3+3+4); the officer under Article 350B (Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities); the article protecting minority interests (Article 29).