According to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which medium of…

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Class 5 — and preferably until Class 8 and beyond — should be the student's home language, mother tongue, local language, or regional language. This recommendation rests on evidence that children grasp foundational concepts most effectively when taught in a language they already know.

Applying this to the question: among the four options, the one that matches NEP 2020's recommended medium-of-instruction approach for students up to Class 5 is the mother tongue/local language, since the policy identifies this — wherever feasible — as the preferred medium for foundational-stage schooling.

• Hindi is not singled out by NEP 2020 as the required medium; the policy instead points to each region's own home/local language, which may or may not be Hindi.

• English may be one of the languages studied under NEP 2020's flexible three-language formula, but the policy does not designate English as the recommended foundational-stage medium of instruction for students up to Class 5.

• Sanskrit is offered as a language option (including as a classical language) within the three-language formula; it is not designated as the medium through which other subjects are taught in the early years.

Therefore, the medium of instruction that NEP 2020 recommends for students up to Class 5 is the mother tongue/local language, wherever this is feasible to implement.