The benefits of multilingual education

Fostering multilingualism among students has emerged as a crucial educational goal; we welcome the CBSE's decision to promote multilingual education in schools by allowing Indian languages as optional mediums of instruction. This move aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and is a positive step towards fostering linguistic diversity and cultural understanding among students. The benefits of multilingual education are well-documented. Studies have shown that multilingual children have better cognitive skills, including improved memory, attention, and problem-solving abilities. They also tend to be more creative and better understand other cultures. In addition to the cognitive benefits, multilingual education can help preserve our rich linguistic heritage. India is home to a vast array of languages, each with its unique history and culture. By offering Indian languages as options in schools, we can help to ensure that these languages are not lost to future generations.

The recently launched Community Program by Dreamtime Learning Community has garnered significant attention for its innovative approach to interdisciplinary teaching of language and literature. It provides an immersive learning experience for students that ultimately shapes them into brilliant communicators. Alongside the primary English instruction medium, the school and hub offer additional languages, such as Hindi, French, Spanish and Arabic. This integration of diverse languages enriches the students' linguistic abilities and fosters an inclusive environment, nurturing a deep appreciation for different cultures.

It is no secret that learning multiple languages exercises your brain. If we see from a Neuroscience perspective, there are numerous benefits for a multilingual brain:

Increase Cognitive Abilities: Multiple studies suggest that multilingual individuals perform better in areas such as problem-solving, multitasking and decision-making. It also exhibits superior working memory.

Enhanced Mental Flexibility: Bilingualism or multilingualism promotes cognitive flexibility. Multilinguals can switch between different languages (a process called "code-switching"), which further enhances mental flexibility and executive functions.

Better Attention Control: The constant need to suppress one language while using another can enhance attention control and selective attention.

Increased Metalinguistic Awareness: Multilingual individuals often have better understanding and insight about language as a system or an abstract tool, as they can compare and contrast the ways in which different languages handle grammar, vocabulary and idioms.

Improved Social Understanding: Multilinguals can become more adept at understanding others' perspectives, enhancing their social interactions. This isn't purely neurological, but it's a cognitive benefit that comes from the language-learning process.

Adding more to this positive step, our Powered by Dreamtime Learning builds a curriculum inclined toward a futuristic school and learning. This curriculum offers additional languages, transforming students' learning experience and giving them experience of diversity. This also strengthens future-ready schools to inspire and empower students to become lifelong learners. For an exemplary future for our students, multilingual education is a progressive step to enhance the education system. Every educational institute and school also encourages students to celebrate diversity and embrace the power of language to understand cultural diversity."]

(The author is the Founder, Dreamtime Learning Community)