Observing that quality of education is inextricably linked to the language in which it is imparted, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) directed the Rajasthan government to formulate a policy for introducing Rajasthani as a medium of instruction in schools and colleges across the State.
“The State shall take necessary measures to recognise and accord due status to the Rajasthani language as a regional language for educational purposes and to progressively facilitate its adoption as a medium of instruction, initially at the foundational and preparatory stages of schooling and progressively at higher levels,” a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed.
‘Obligation to act’
Referring to the National Education Policy 2020, the Bench noted that the policy recognises that children learn better in their mother tongue and accordingly accords primacy to home, local, and regional languages in early education. It also pointed out that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which guarantees free and compulsory elementary education recognises the need to dismantle barriers to ensure equitable access to education.
“Once the Union itself has, through legislative measures and policy frameworks, acknowledged the necessity of imparting education in a language intelligible to the child, a corresponding obligation arises for the States to take timely, effective and purposive steps towards its realisation”, the Bench said.
