RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat bats for mother tongue as medium of learning

Raipur: Stating that the mother tongue is the best medium of instruction at the primary school level, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday sought priority for native language over foreign language in initial education.

"If mother tongue is the medium of learning during the initial education, it makes learning easier in further education. This is not possible if one starts learning in a foreign language since childhood," Bhagwat said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief was addressing silver jubilee function of Vidya Bharati institute here.

There are several instances of people who studied in their native tongue and went on to serve the country at highest levels, Bhagwat said.

The RSS chief, however, said he was not opposed to teaching of other languages.

"We should know our mother tongue. Hindi unites the entire country and the number of people who know Hindi is increasing. After having a complete knowledge of the mother tongue, we should also learn foreign languages to make our country shine at the international platforms.

"None of the foreign languages are unacceptable to us, but the priority should be learning the mother tongue," he said.

He also hailed the efforts of Vidya Bharati to impart "culture-based" education.