The influence of the ethnolinguistic factor on the education system of contemporary India

Abstract

the article examines the language policy of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the sphere of education. It analyzes the status of language both as a medium of instruction and as a subject, explores how current policy trends are affecting the educational system, and reviews the existing instructional model and the part played by various Indian languages within it. The position of English in educational practice is given particular consideration. The study also focuses on the interplay between government policy initiatives, the educational framework promoted by the ruling party, and the actual situation on the ground, with due regard for regional specificities. The ideological agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party, underpinning the ongoing processes of Sanskritization and Hindiization in contemporary India, extends its influence to the educational domain. This influence, however, cannot be adequately assessed without a comprehensive analysis of the linguistic landscape across the country’s regions, where attitudes towards Hindi, the official language, are far from uniform. The article offers an overall appraisal of the state-led language policy measures in education, the legislative and policy documents that support them, their outcomes to date, and their potential future developments.

References

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