Challenges of Hindi-Medium Education in Private Schools

Abstract

Language is very important in school, and teaching in the student's first language helps them understand, participate, and learn better. Hindi is widely spoken in India, but English is often the language of instruction. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 says that mother tongue or regional languages, like Hindi, should be used, especially in primary school. This study looks at the needs and problems that teachers face when using Hindi as a language of instruction. We used a descriptive mixed-method design with 80 teachers from private schools who were chosen on purpose. We used a structured questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions to gather data. Some of the biggest problems are a lack of trained teachers (86.66%), poor infrastructure (90%), a lack of good materials (60%), a lack of digital content (76%), parents' preference for English (93.66%), low student confidence (73.66%), translation problems (70%), a lack of job opportunities (76.66%), and problems teaching STEM subjects in Hindi (63.33%). The study stresses the importance of training teachers, providing high-quality resources, making parents aware, and using the same terms. Under NEP 2020, promoting Hindi-medium instruction helps with fairness, inclusion, and good learning.