Why states struggle to teach the 'third language': Dearth of teachers and lack of clear approach persist; amid confusion and muddled execution of NEP's mandatory three-language policy.

Time of India

5 hours ago

MUMBAI: In the corner of a school corridor in south Kolkata, a retired Sanskrit teacher quietly takes a class without pay. Down the hallway, a part-time Hindi teacher, paid just Rs 5,000 a month, juggles syllabi and student disinterest.
These are not isolated cases — they are scenes repeating across campuses of India, where the three-language formula of the National Education Policy (NEP) is a muddled mosaic of politics, policy and pedagogy.
The idea is simple on paper: every child in India should learn three languages — preferably the mother tongue, Hindi or English, and one more Indian language. But in practice, the 'third language' is often the orphaned child of the curriculum — chronically underfunded, sporadically taught, rarely enjoyed.
NEP recommended three languages to promote 'multilingualism, national unity, and cognitive development.' The policy says: 'The three languages learned by children will be the choices of states, regions, and of the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.'
In essence, the policy is designed to 'balance local relevance with national cohesion and global readiness'. However, linguist Peggy Mohan says, 'Not only does it not help, we don't have teachers to teach it.
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They are already overstressed with understanding English texts. Language is not an intellectual accomplishment. People learn languages if demanded by their environment. As usual politicians are loading their issues onto children.
'
Bengal: Disinclination and Honorariums
In West Bengal, where the State Education Policy was introduced as a counterweight to the Centre's NEP, the third language begins in Class 5 — if schools can find someone to teach it. Hindi or Sanskrit is usually the choice for Classes 7 and 8, or in some cases Urdu, but few institutions allocate full-time teachers for them.
So principals improvise.
'We employ a retired Sanskrit teacher on an honorary basis and a part-time Hindi teacher,' says Amit Sen Majumder of Jodhpur Park Boys' School in south Kolkata. However, the pay can be as little as Rs 5,000.
Keeping students engaged and convincing parents is equally a daunting task. Anjana Dutta, whose son is in Class 7 at a south Kolkata school, said, 'Students are reluctant to study a third language, knowing it's only for two years.
Govt should ensure proper teaching and offer language options that could be useful later.'
Incidentally, Bengali is taught compulsorily from Class 1. And while ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) 2024 paints a picture of improvement in the state — 71.3% of Class 8 students can read a Class 2-level text — parents are not entirely impressed with the standards.
Bihar: Ghost Classes, Silent Tongues
In Bihar, the formula includes Hindi, English and Sanskrit or Urdu — but again, the approach smacks of lip service.
'Some schools have students without teachers; others have teachers without students,' admits ManojKumar, working president, State Primary Teachers' Association. It's not surprising, as sanctioned posts for language teachers has not kept pace with increase in students.
Retired Patna University teacher and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Arun Kamal points out that studentshere mostly opt for Sanskrit as third language besides Hindi and English.
Even as there is a facility for Bengali teaching in some schools, there are very few teachers for the subject. 'We don't offer enough options. There is no imaginative engagement.'
Even Maithili, which is spoken in 148assembly constituencies and has been included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, is not taught in schools as yet. Linguist Bhairav Lal Das says Maithili is a popular language with a rich history but has not yet been made the medium of instruction even in the Mithilanchal (Maithili belt) of the state.
'The education system hasn't caught up with the linguistic richness of the state,' says Das.
Yet, paradoxically, Bihar's reading outcomes have improved: 41.2% of Class 5 students can now read Class 2-level texts. Numbers rise, but the languages dwindle.
Uttar Pradesh: Two Languages, Too Many Barriers
Here, in the country's most populous state, Urdu and Sanskrit are taught from classes 5 to 8 in private schools and is mandatory for classes 6 to 8 in govt- and govt-aided inter colleges.
In some, govt students can even choose to study Sanskrit till Class 12.
Students opting for Sanskrit are limited though. Most tend to regard Sanskrit as merely a subject to clear in exams. Teachers, however, note that Urdu learning is more widespread because of its use in the literary world. 'In our college, we have 15 Urdu learners in a class of 40. They come from all communities,' says Mirza Shafiq Husain Shafaq, an Urdu teacher in Lucknow.
His class sometimes drifts into poetry and shayari.
Recruitment of teachers is hard, though. 'We get many science and commerce teachers,' says Anil Agarwal of St Joseph Institutions. 'But, for Sanskrit or Urdu, barely anyone applies.' According to educators and administrators in UP, the challenge is in recruiting postgraduate teachers for Sanskrit and Urdu, as few opt for higher studies in these languages.
Agarwal says continuous professional development through workshops, conferences, and online courses would address the shortage.
Mentorship programmes to connect experienced educators with newcomers and collaboration by govt bodies with academic institutions in creating policies, he said, would create a conducive environment for teaching these languages.
Karnataka: Familiar Scripts, Fading Words
In Belagavi, the children speak Kannada, Marathi, Urdu — but not Hindi. 'It feels out of place,' says award-winningteacher Hema Idagal. 'They can't grasp it because they don't hear it.'
In Mangaluru, efforts to preserve Tulu and Konkani as third languages are an act of devotion, not policy. Tulu is offered in around 40 schools, but Konkani Academy, footing the salary bill, has no formal funding for it. Konkani's journey is steeper still — just four to five schools now teach it, mostly in Devanagari.
'People ask, why teach what they already speak?' says Joachim Stany Alvares of the academy. 'But if English speakers learn English, why not formalise our own?'
Even students who love Tulu find no continuation in pre-university education, making the choice impractical.
'We offer it out of love,' says Dinesh Shettigar, Tulu teacher and drawing instructor, who worries what will happen after his retirement.
Maharashtra: Compounding The Confusion
Here, teaching the third language begins right from Class 1 — at least in policy. Teachers, however, are reeling from the shock. 'It was never in the original foundational education plan,' says Mahendra Ganpule, ex-vice president of the State Headmasters' Association. 'Then suddenly we were told it must be taught — but with no extra teachers.'
In Marathi-medium schools, English is a challenge; in English-medium schools, it's Marathi. A third language, usually Hindi, simply compounds the confusion. The state recently made Marathi compulsory across all schools till Class 10. Hindi, initially mandated till Class 5, was made optional after protests.
ASER data shows that in 2024, 50.3% of rural students could read a Class 2 text — down from 2018. English reading proficiency remains dire: just 12.1% of Class 5 students could read basic sentences in 2022.
'Hiring depends on how many students opt for a language,' says Zafar Khan, a headmasters' association president. 'No takers, no teachers.'
The Language We Lose
For a country that prides itself on linguistic diversity, our classrooms echo the opposite. Third languages are a constitutional promise, a pedagogical gift — but, increasingly, an administrative burden, experts say. Prof Madri Kakoti of Lucknow University offers a hopeful note.
'Multiple languages don't just build neural pathways. They connect us to each other. To learn a third language is to increase cultural understanding between our people, expose our children to the traditions of neighbouring states and their people, and encourage a whole new generation towards humanities and literature.
'
But, for that to happen, it must first be taught with purpose — not as a policy checkbox, but as a bridge between a child's tongue and the world.In the corner of a school corridor in south Kolkata, a retired Sanskrit teacher quietly takes a class without pay.
Down the hallway, a part-time Hindi teacher, paid just Rs 5,000 a month, juggles syllabi and student disinterest.
These are not isolated cases — they are scenes repeating across campuses of India, where the three-language formula of the National Education Policy (NEP) is a muddled mosaic of politics, policy and pedagogy.
The idea is simple on paper: every child in India should learn three languages — preferably the mother tongue, Hindi or English, and one more Indian language.
But in practice, the 'third language' is often the orphaned child of the curriculum — chronically underfunded, sporadically taught, rarely enjoyed.
NEP recommended three languages to promote 'multilingualism, national unity, and cognitive development.' The policy says: 'The three languages learned by children will be the choices of states, regions, and of the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.'
In essence, the policy is designed to 'balance local relevance with national cohesion and global readiness'. However, linguist Peggy Mohan says, 'Not only does it not help, we don't have teachers to teach it. They are already overstressed with understanding English texts. Language is not an intellectual accomplishment. People learn languages if demanded by their environment. As usual politicians are loading their issues onto children.
'
Bengal: Disinclination and Honorariums
In West Bengal, where the State Education Policy was introduced as a counterweight to the Centre's NEP, the third language begins in Class 5 — if schools can find someone to teach it. Hindi or Sanskrit is usually the choice for Classes 7 and 8, or in some cases Urdu, but few institutions allocate full-time teachers for them. So principals improvise.
'We employ a retired Sanskrit teacher on an honorary basis and a part-time Hindi teacher,' says Amit Sen Majumder of Jodhpur Park Boys' School in south Kolkata.
However, the pay can be as little as Rs 5,000.
Keeping students engaged and convincing parents is equally a daunting task. Anjana Dutta, whose son is in Class 7 at a south Kolkata school, said, 'Students are reluctant to study a third language, knowing it's only for two years. Govt should ensure proper teaching and offer language options that could be useful later.'
Incidentally, Bengali is taught compulsorily from Class 1.
And while ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) 2024 paints a picture of improvement in the state — 71.3% of Class 8 students can read a Class 2-level text — parents are not entirely impressed with the standards.
Bihar: Ghost Classes, Silent Tongues
In Bihar, the formula includes Hindi, English and Sanskrit or Urdu — but again, the approach smacks of lip service. 'Some schools have students without teachers; others have teachers without students,' admits ManojKumar, working president, State Primary Teachers' Association.
It's not surprising, as sanctioned posts for language teachers has not kept pace with increase in students.
Retired Patna University teacher and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Arun Kamal points out that studentshere mostly opt for Sanskrit as third language besides Hindi and English. Even as there is a facility for Bengali teaching in some schools, there are very few teachers for the subject. 'We don't offer enough options.
There is no imaginative engagement.'
Even Maithili, which is spoken in 148assembly constituencies and has been included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, is not taught in schools as yet. Linguist Bhairav Lal Das says Maithili is a popular language with a rich history but has not yet been made the medium of instruction even in the Mithilanchal (Maithili belt) of the state. 'The education system hasn't caught up with the linguistic richness of the state,' says Das.
Yet, paradoxically, Bihar's reading outcomes have improved: 41.2% of Class 5 students can now read Class 2-level texts. Numbers rise, but the languages dwindle.
Uttar Pradesh: Two Languages, Too Many Barriers
H
ere, in the country's most populous state, Urdu and Sanskrit are taught from classes 5 to 8 in private schools and is mandatory for classes 6 to 8 in govt- and govt-aided inter colleges. In some, govt students can even choose to study Sanskrit till Class 12.
Students opting for Sanskrit are limited though. Most tend to regard Sanskrit as merely a subject to clear in exams. Teachers, however, note that Urdu learning is more widespread because of its use in the literary world. 'In our college, we have 15 Urdu learners in a class of 40. They come from all communities,' says Mirza Shafiq Husain Shafaq, an Urdu teacher in Lucknow. His class sometimes drifts into poetry and shayari.
Recruitment of teachers is hard, though. 'We get many science and commerce teachers,' says Anil Agarwal of St Joseph Institutions. 'But, for Sanskrit or Urdu, barely anyone applies.' According to educators and administrators in UP, the challenge is in recruiting postgraduate teachers for Sanskrit and Urdu, as few opt for higher studies in these languages.
Agarwal says continuous professional development through workshops, conferences, and online courses would address the shortage.
Mentorship programmes to connect experienced educators with newcomers and collaboration by govt bodies with academic institutions in creating policies, he said, would create a conducive environment for teaching these languages.
Karnataka: Familiar Scripts, Fading Words
In Belagavi, the children speak Kannada, Marathi, Urdu — but not Hindi. 'It feels out of place,' says award-winningteacher Hema Idagal. 'They can't grasp it because they don't hear it.'
In Mangaluru, efforts to preserve Tulu and Konkani as third languages are an act of devotion, not policy. Tulu is offered in around 40 schools, but Konkani Academy, footing the salary bill, has no formal funding for it. Konkani's journey is steeper still — just four to five schools now teach it, mostly in Devanagari.
'People ask, why teach what they already speak?' says Joachim Stany Alvares of the academy. 'But if English speakers learn English, why not formalise our own?'
Even students who love Tulu find no continuation in pre-university education, making the choice impractical.
'We offer it out of love,' says Dinesh Shettigar, Tulu teacher and drawing instructor, who worries what will happen after his retirement.
Maharashtra: Compounding The Confusion
Here, teaching the third language begins right from Class 1 — at least in policy. Teachers, however, are reeling from the shock. 'It was never in the original foundational education plan,' says Mahendra Ganpule, ex-vice president of the State Headmasters' Association. 'Then suddenly we were told it must be taught — but with no extra teachers.'
In Marathi-medium schools, English is a challenge; in English-medium schools, it's Marathi. A third language, usually Hindi, simply compounds the confusion. The state recently made Marathi compulsory across all schools till Class 10. Hindi, initially mandated till Class 5, was made optional after protests.
ASER data shows that in 2024, 50.3% of rural students could read a Class 2 text — down from 2018. English reading proficiency remains dire: just 12.1% of Class 5 students could read basic sentences in 2022.
'Hiring depends on how many students opt for a language,' says Zafar Khan, a headmasters' association president. 'No takers, no teachers.'
The Language We Lose
For a country that prides itself on linguistic diversity, our classrooms echo the opposite. Third languages are a constitutional promise, a pedagogical gift — but, increasingly, an administrative burden, experts say. Prof Madri Kakoti of Lucknow University offers a hopeful note.
'Multiple languages don't just build neural pathways. They connect us to each other. To learn a third language is to increase cultural understanding between our people, expose our children to the traditions of neighbouring states and their people, and encourage a whole new generation towards humanities and literature.
'
But, for that to happen, it must first be taught with purpose — not as a policy checkbox, but as a bridge between a child's tongue and the world.
With inputs from Poulami Roy Banerjee, B K Mishra, Mohita Tewari, Ravi Uppar, Deepthi Sanjiv, and Abhishek Choudhari