The National Education Policy 2020 states that wherever possible the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language, the mother tongue, the local language or the regional language.

The reasoning behind the provision is drawn from research on early learning: children grasp concepts far more readily in a language they already speak at home, and forcing an unfamiliar medium in the earliest years produces rote repetition instead of understanding. The policy therefore asks for high quality textbooks and teaching material in the home language.

English is retained as a language that may be taught and learned, but the policy does not make it the medium at this stage. Nor does the policy impose any one Indian language on all learners; Sanskrit is offered as an option at several levels, and no language is made compulsory for any state, so none of the single named languages answers the question.

Mother tongue / local language option is correct.