Language plays a significant role in our lives not only in communication but the exchange of information, development of reading skills, reading with comprehension, etc. Moreover, it plays a major role in a child’s literacy, cognitive and social development.
But still, very little attention is given to the language in India’s ECE (Early Childhood Education) programmes even though we live in a multilingual country. Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or a group.
Challenges Faced By ECE Centers
- Children come from different cultural or language backgrounds.
- ECE teacher/caregiver cope with different languages at the same time in an early childhood setting.
- Some ECE centres only follow their state language, so if a child moves to another state/city, they will face a language barrier.
How Can Multilingual Education Be Introduced In ECE Centers Systemically?
- The medium of interaction in the ECCE centre should be the home language or mother tongue first.
- Encourage different languages for expression by children in the ECCE centres.
- While promoting mother tongue, utilise the opportunity to provide exposure to school language so that children enter school better prepared. Before exposing to a school language, a child should be encouraged to be proficient in their mother tongue/home language first. Then the formal school language (regional language or English) should be introduced.
- When the school language (regional or English) is introduced, the ECE teachers/caregivers must continue to convey a positive attitude about children’s first language (mother tongue/home language).
- Parents and families should be provided materials with information on dual/multiple language learning and the importance of home language to help their child learn multiple languages.