Key Findings from Education Ministry Analysis
- Majority of Class 10 & 12 students opted for Hindi and English as mediums of instruction in 2024.
- Among 1.85 crore Class 10 and 1.49 crore Class 12 students:
- 39.3% chose Hindi.
- 31.4% of Class 10 and 38.6% of Class 12 chose English.
Relevance : GS 2(Education , Governance)
Regional Language Preference: Limited but Present
- Only a small fraction opted for regional languages — 0.9% to 6.1%.
- Regional languages considered: Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Odia, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Assamese, Punjabi, Malayalam, Bodo, Sanskrit, Nepali, Santhali, Manipuri.
Class 10 Pass Rates: Below National Average in Some Languages
- National average pass rate for Class 10: 88%.
- Lower pass rates in:
- Gujarati: 82.7%
- Kannada: 75.4%
- Telugu & Assamese: 79.8%
- Indicates possible learning gaps or systemic issues in instruction or exam alignment.
High Performing Regional Mediums in Class 10
- Malayalam: 99.9% pass rate (highest).
- Odia: 98%
- Manipuri & Punjabi: 96.2%
- Shows regional variation in outcomes despite smaller student bases.
Class 12 Pass Rates: Notable Differences by Language
- National average for Class 12: 86.5%
- Low performers:
- Telugu: Only 61.7% pass rate from 1.07 lakh students — a significant concern.
- High performers:
- Tamil, Nepali, Punjabi, Manipuri: 90.5%–92.3%, above national average.
- Gujarati: Despite poor Class 10 performance, Class 12 pass rate is 92.6%.
Switch from Regional to English Medium
- Many state boards follow regional languages till Class 10 and shift to English for Class 12.
- Explains rise in English-medium preference in Class 12 (38.6%) vs Class 10 (31.4%).
Equity and Quality Concerns
- Disparities in outcomes raise questions about:
- Teaching quality in certain regional mediums.
- Curriculum-content alignment with exam standards.
- Access to quality study materials in all languages.
Policy Implications
- Need for targeted support in regional-medium education, especially in underperforming languages like Kannada and Telugu.
- Important to ensure linguistic equity in education — aligning with NEP 2020’s multilingual goals.
