New National Education Policy (NEP) will give due respect and credit to every language in the country and those who try to politicise language for their selfish interests will have to shut their shops, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
Delivering the inaugural address at the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on the third anniversary of the launch of the NEP, Modi said the biggest injustice to students is judging them on the basis of their language, instead of their capabilities.
The National Educational Policy will give due respect and credit to every language in the country. Those who try to politicise language for their selfish interests will now have to shut their shops," the prime minister said. Education in the mother tongue is initiating a new form of justice for students in India. It is also a very significant step towards social justice, he added.
Taking note of the multitude of languages in the world and their importance, the prime minister underlined that several developed countries have got an edge owing to their local languages. Giving the example of Europe, he said most countries make use of their own native languages.
Modi lamented that even though India has an array of established languages, they are presented as a sign of backwardness and those who cannot speak English are neglected and their talent is not recognised. As a result, children in the rural areas remain the most affected. The country has now begun to shun this belief with the advent of the NEP. Even at the United Nations, I speak in an Indian language, he added.