Vernacular schools are educational institutions that use the native or local language of a particular region or community as the medium of instruction.
The term "vernacular" refers to the language spoken by the people in their daily lives.
In other words, instead of teaching in a more widely spoken or official language, vernacular schools teach in the local language. For example, vernacular schools in in Tanzania use Swahili, or vernacular schools in Malaysia and Singapore which use Tamil or Mandarin.
Vernacular schools are often established to provide education to students who may not be proficient in the official language, to promote the use of local languages, as well as to preserve linguistic and cultural traditions.