Now Reading: Unesco report backs mother-tongue education, cites Warangal study
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Unesco report backs mother-tongue education, cites Warangal study
The Story in Brief
Unesco's State of the Education Report for India 2025, launched in Telangana on Friday (13 November 2026), has highlighted a Warangal study where student participation in a Class VII mathematics class rose from 10 per cent to over 70 per cent when the teacher used Telugu alongside English. The report, 'Bhasha Matters', authored by Dr Minati Panda, calls for a national mission for mother-tongue-based multilingual education, better teacher preparation, and multilingual textbooks.
A separate Cambridge University and EFLU study across ten low-cost government schools found a 30 per cent improvement in reading performance when students could use their home languages. Telangana has introduced eight languages in classrooms since 2019 and developed 274 textbooks for Classes I to X, including bilingual books. SCERT has also prepared a nine-language digital dictionary. The report notes shortages of multilingual materials and inadequate teacher preparation.
Telangana school education director Dr E. Naveen Nicolas, who released the report at the Hyderabad event, said recommendations must move beyond policy towards classroom implementation, stressing sustained attention to teacher training and inclusive assessments.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Deccan Chronicle and The Hans India present the Unesco report as a positive endorsement of Telangana's policies. Deccan Chronicle leads with the Warangal participation jump and gives equal space to challenges such as material shortages and teacher preparation. The Hans India frames the report as a validation of the state's existing initiatives, listing the eight languages and digital tools without the critical points. A reader who wants the full picture, the praise alongside the gaps the report also names, will find it only in Deccan Chronicle's version. The next step is the proposed national mission for mother-tongue-based multilingual education, which the report urges the central government to adopt.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 neutral
Sources (2): deccanchronicle.com (neutral report), thehansindia.com (pro government)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
