The Anglo Indian Federation is urging the government to classify English as a native language within the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 [1].
This request centers on the preservation of cultural identity and the legal protection of minority rights in India. By securing native language status, the federation aims to ensure that the linguistic heritage of the Anglo-Indian community is formally recognized and supported within the national schooling framework.
The National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes multilingualism and the use of home languages for teaching and examination [1]. However, the Anglo Indian Federation said that the current classification does not sufficiently account for those whose primary and ancestral language is English [1].
Advocates for the change said that the classification is necessary to prevent the marginalization of the community. They said that without this designation, the specific needs of Anglo-Indian students may be overlooked in the implementation of the policy's language goals [1].
The federation's push comes as part of a broader effort to safeguard the rights of minority groups under the current educational regime [1]. The group said that the recognition of English as a native language would provide a critical layer of protection for their community's unique social and linguistic position in India [1].
The request focuses on the alignment of the NEP 2020 with the lived reality of the Anglo-Indian population, who have historically used English as their primary tongue [1]. The federation said that this adjustment would foster a more inclusive environment for students across the country [1].
“The Anglo Indian Federation is urging the government to classify English as a native language.”
The request by the Anglo Indian Federation highlights a tension between the Indian government's goal of promoting regional indigenous languages and the need to protect the rights of small, linguistically distinct minority groups. If granted, this change would acknowledge English not just as a global lingua franca or a colonial legacy, but as a primary native tongue for a specific segment of the Indian population, potentially altering how minority language rights are interpreted in educational policy.
