India's language-in-education policy is known as ________.

2021

India's language-in-education policy is known as ________.

Answer: B. Three language formulaIndia's school-education system is shaped by nationally adopted language policies that specify exactly how many and which languages students must study. Such…

  1. A.

    National language formula

  2. B.

    Three language formula

  3. C.

    Language in education

  4. D.

    Official language policy

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

India's school-education system is shaped by nationally adopted language policies that specify exactly how many and which languages students must study. Such a policy is issued through an official government document (a National Policy on Education) following the recommendations of an expert commission, and it carries a distinct, citable name rather than a generic descriptive label.

Applying this to India: the Kothari Commission (1964–66) recommended a scheme for school language study, and the Government adopted it in the National Policy on Education, 1968 (retained through the 1986/1992 revisions and NEP 2020) under the name Three Language Formula. It calls for school students to study:

  1. the mother tongue or regional language,

  2. a second Indian language — commonly Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states, or another modern Indian language in Hindi-speaking states, and

  3. English (the third language under the 1968 formulation).

The exact combination and stage of introduction have varied across states and over time; NEP 2020 continues the formula while additionally requiring at least two of the three languages studied to be native to India — a flexibility not part of the original 1968 wording.

Contrasting the other phrases against this concept:

  • “National language formula” presumes a single constitutionally designated “national language” anchors school policy. Article 343 designates Hindi as the Union's official language, with English continuing in official use under the Official Languages Act — India has no constitutionally declared “national language,” so no education policy carries this title.

  • “Language in education” describes the general field of study concerned with languages used in schooling — a subject-area label, not the title of any specific enacted government policy.

  • “Official language policy” concerns which language(s) the government conducts administrative business in, under the Official Languages Act — a distinct policy domain from how many languages students study in school.

Checked against the concept: the defining feature — a named policy prescribing a fixed count of three languages for the school curriculum — is what “Three language formula” specifically denotes; the other phrases instead describe a claimed single national language, a general field of study, or administrative-language rules.

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