Benefits of Learning in Mother Tongue language
A mother tongue is a language which a person grew up listening to and speaking since their childhood. It is usually the language a person feels most comfortable & familiar with. Which in turn makes this language a suitable medium for any skill to learn specifically when it comes to education. But what is going around in the world instead is vice versa where commercial or colonial languages are used in most of the educational institutes. Also seen in India widely with the use of English as the first language in schools/colleges etc, making it infeasible for the students to venture the benefits of learning in their mother tongue.
“If the English educated neglect, as they have done and even now continue, as some do, to be ignorant of their mother tongue, linguistic starvation will abide.
By Mahatma Gandhi
The National Education Policy 2020 needs to be taken into account which states that children in the early years will be taught using their mother tongue. Now, there stands a solid need to understand the benefits of being tutored in one’s mother tongue so as to improve the essence of education/ learning.
Here are some important pointers stating the benefits of learning in mother tongue:
Intellectual Development
Some studies have proven that students tend to develop their intellect faster if they are fluent in their mother tongue as compared to those who are not. It has also been found that teaching and learning in their mother tongue have led to greater achievements in education for those who study from a difficult medium. The analytical, logical, reasonable processing of a person has shown greater development with the help of learning in a mother tongue.
Personal Development
Personal development or identity appears out of one’s understanding of oneself, their society and whatever surrounds them. Listening, learning and speaking their language from the beginning leads a person to comprehend its views, feelings or emotions which later in life builds a strong foundation with family, peers, & one’s identity helping them to master any skill using their mother tongue. This latently makes a student feel more acceptable to themselves and their achievements in a natural way.
Cultural Development
Language or mother tongue plays a key role in keeping the cultural development alive and going. The use of a different language might slowly hinder the zest of one’s culture. Research shows that the use of the mother tongue promotes cultural development making one feel a lot more connected to the cultural part of our society. The mother tongue can emit instant association with the roots and history. This is quite a crucial point to notice and work upon to benefit the ongoing and the coming generations where this indispensable development seems to be eroding rapidly.
Commercial benefits
Nowadays, where we see a lot of young minds with amazing startups or business plans. So if a student in later parts of his/ her life wishes to try their hands on business be it small-scale or large-scale they need to have a strong foundation and fluency in their mother tongue so as to reach and communicate to each and every person interested in their business. Owning a business locally or widely generates a need to process the language articulately. And this firm grip of a language comes from practicing and learning in the same language from the very start. Our system tends to ignore this fact but is kind of important when thinking thoroughly and keeping in mind the benefits it creates for a student.
Communication Skills
During childhood, when children spend time with their parents, they learn communication skills, which becomes crucial in school for them to be able to participate in lessons, competitions, etc. When parents communicate to their children it steadily develops their concepts and terminologies of the language. Thus when it comes to education, children really enjoy being taught in the same language, it makes it more fun leading to greater educational records and achievements.
Ease in making Study Material
Compiling textbooks in different languages can be intimidating as it requires a lot of time, care, proofreading, etc but when it comes to creating one in the native language it is quite an easy task as there are a number of experts readily available and takes less time too.
Ease for the teachers
Also a benefit for the teachers teaching the primary class students as it becomes quite easy to instruct, teach and communicate with the children who are still learning and honing their language skills. It makes it simple for the teachers to express themselves in a way they pass their knowledge explicitly and effortlessly.
Strong Family bonds
As in India, where most of the parents and grandparents do not understand a different language quite that well except their mother tongue. So if a child is taught in its mother tongue the family can really engage in the studies, cutting the linguistic barriers. When a child learns with its family members it somewhere elicits strong family bonds making learning in mother tongue crucial.
Strong Foundation for Learning skills
If one has a stronghold of his/ her mother tongue then it is convenient for that to learn literally any skill. The boon of learning anything in one’s native language is unmatched. The knowledge is easily transferable when it’s projected in a mother tongue.It also equips a person to master those skills in less time and even more efficiently. Specifically if one wishes to learn new languages.
Many linguists reveal that a good grip over their native language helped them comprehend and dissolve different languages at an early age. So, if children are trained using it, they will be capable of learning plenty of languages at an early stage of life which is sure to add a feather in their cap.
Confidence and Awareness of oneself
The knowledge of the native language not only brings confidence but also a sense of awareness in an individual. No matter what you aspire to be, people with a good grip on the mother tongue always have an upper hand among others. Thus, facilitating great confidence in understanding and communicating different sectors also adopting skills required in a sector quickly and effectively.
The Pride
Learning in your mother tongue in itself is a matter of pride. Mother tongue has a huge impact on shaping cultural development and defining a person’s individual identity. So, one must take pride in crafting their cultural, personal, societal identity with the help of their native language.
Conclusion
Many youngsters from corner to corner in the booming world are learning quite less in school, a truth that may be connected to teaching that is in a language they do not fully perceive. It is a drill that ends up in inadequate or non-existent learning and acquisition of information and skills, distancing experiences, and high drop-out and repetition rates. To develop the standard of education, language policies need to acquire the use of mother-tongue learning. Structures of learning that disregard the native language within the first years are unfruitful, unuseful and have an antagonizing impact on children’s learning. Mother-tongue teaching in the early years can enable the effective jobs of teachers and learners. For too long, mother-tongue education has been largely unremarked by the policy makers.
Mother tongue is crucial because of several reasons. Mother tongue is vital in shaping the intellect and feelings of a person. Learning to speak in the native language is very important for a child’s thorough development. Being swift with the mother tongue helps the child in a number of ways. It resonates with his culture, guarantees good comprehensive development, and holds up for the learning of other languages. A child first grasps what surrounds them through the language they listen to their family conversing in from before they are born.
Whereas there are cheering signs that the policy pendulum has started to swing towards a larger understanding of the benefits of mother-tongue learning, there is still a long way to go. Policies and programmes are being developed to take hold of mother tongue in the early stages of learning, but there still prevails a need to present better policies, make sure better preparation for the teaching of second languages and make it a point that huge amounts of resources are set aside. All we hope to do is to encourage the education givers to take in account the need to introduce mother tongue as a medium of learning in the beginning stages of schooling.