Gujarat and Punjab top the list in three-language education, national average at 61.6%: Data

Gujarat and Punjab are leading the way in implementing the three-language policy, with more than 95% of schools teaching three languages, as revealed in data provided by Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in Parliament.

The data reveals that 97.6% of schools in Gujarat, 96.2% in Punjab, and 89.2% in Sikkim offer three languages.

Gujarat has made Gujarati compulsory in schools, while Punjab has made Punjabi mandatory. The national average stands at 61.6%.

Chaudhary shared this information on March 24 in response to a question from DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi about the languages taught under the three-language formula in various states.

As stated in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Tamil Nadu and the Union government have had disagreements over the implementation of the three-language strategy, particularly concerning the potential "imposition" of Hindi, according to the DMK.

In states following the three-language policy, more than 70% of schools in Kerala and Karnataka teach three languages, with 71.7% of schools in Kerala and 76.4% in Karnataka offering this option, according to the data.

In Madhya Pradesh, only 55.4% of schools teach three languages, while Uttar Pradesh, one of the northern states, has a higher percentage at 82.8%. Delhi's percentage stands at 58.7%.

On the other end of the spectrum, Nagaland (2.5%), Tamil Nadu (3.2%), and Arunachal Pradesh (0.3%) have the lowest percentage of schools teaching three languages.

Additionally, Andhra Pradesh (43.5%), Assam (33.6%), Bihar (49.8%), Goa (47.6%), Jharkhand (39%), Meghalaya (18.9%), Odisha (47.9%), West Bengal (48.5%), and Puducherry (39.5%) are among the states and Union Territories where less than 50% of schools offer three-language instruction.

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha about third-language options in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, Chaudhary explained that Uttar Pradesh offers Urdu or Sanskrit, Madhya Pradesh provides Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, or Marathi, and Bihar offers Urdu or Sanskrit.