Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in Indian Anganwadis

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is a cornerstone of India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, particularly within Anganwadi Centers (AWCs), which serve as the foundation for Early Childhood Education (ECE) across India’s heterogeneous demographics. This qualitative case study examines MTB-MLE implementation within two AWCs using triangulated policy analysis, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal that mother tongue functions as a primary language of instruction, enabling emotional connection, conceptual understanding, and active learner engagement. In the absence of formal multilingual curricula and resources, educators adopt innovative strategies such as dramatization, gestural communication, and culturally contextual content to facilitate learning. Children demonstrated high linguistic flexibility, navigating seamlessly between their mother tongue and incidental English from media exposure and play. Critically, these grassroots practices precede and operationalize NEP 2020 aspirations, revealing AWCs as sites of negotiated multilingualism where policy follows educator agency. Challenges persist, including inadequate teacher training, limited multilingual materials, and mixed community attitudes toward nondominant languages, yet educator ingenuity bridges systemic gaps. The study recommends three scalable strategies: (1) regional-language curriculum kits with translanguaging prompts; (2) cascade Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) training modules; and (3) community language mapping to advance equitable, culturally grounded early education.