Expert: Vivek Date: 4/5/2000 Subject: India Schooling
Question Hello
I have a basic question about India and the implementation of a certain curriculum standard. Through research of India I have found that the following languages are mandatory for children to learn in India:
1.) The Mother Tongue
2.) Hindi
3.) English
I was wondering if someone could tell me why English is a mandatory language in India even after they have had their independence for upwards of 50 years? Why is it still policy that the English Language be learned?
I am presenting a project tomorrow at 9:00 am and was wondering if I could possible have the answer before then---If not I am still interested. I am sure that one of my fellow classmates will ask the same question--- and I would really like to be able to answer them correctly.........
I really appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Interested,
Glen A. Scheirer
Sophomore-- Pennsylvania State University
Answer Hello Glen,
I'm responding as soon as I saw the mail :)
First off, what you've found is not quite correct. It isn't mandatory for someone to learn all three of the above, though it is not uncommon either. As a matter of fact, I can hardly claim to be proficient in Hindi (though its something I'm regretting now :-().
As far as schools go (and by schools, I mean middle and high schools before one goes onto college), there are the following 3 main categories:
a) English-medium schools where math, science, history and everything is taught in English and you've to learn 1 or 2 additional languages of which one is invariably the Mother Tongue. These kinds of schools are very popular in the cities and big towns and is where most people aspire to send their kids to. In my own school in the city of Madras, we had to learn only 1 addl language and I took up my Mother Tongue (Tamil)
b) Hindi-medium schools - often run by the Govt. of India or some affiliated body where everything is taught in Hindi and you may/may not have other languages. Children studying in these schools often have their parents working for the Govt./Armed Forces etc. or their Mother tongue is Hindi.
c) Schools run in the Mother-tongue, usually by the Govts in the states - similar to above, except everything is in the Mother tongue. These are prevalent (often the only option) in the smaller towns and villages across the country.
But almost all higher education (beyond high school) is in English, so those who've done all their schooling in English are at an advantage in college compared to the others.
As to why we'd still want English to be there, you've to understand the diversity of the country first. The history, culture and traditions of different places are quite different. Thus, it is virtually impossible to have any single Indian language as the language of the entire country - Hindi is the most prevalent one but is stiffly opposed by the Govts. in the South. So English has been used as the link language in official communication and has been retained in the schools. IMO, it is a good thing and should be continued because of the following reasons:
i) It is inarguably the premier international language and the days of isolation of any country are long over and everyone has to join the mainstream, whether it be economically, culturally or in terms of language
ii) The education system was one of the few good things left behind by the British when they left India (Railways and a bureaucratic system are the other prominent legacies and both of which have been much undermined and corrupted after independence). It would be a very foolish thing to attempt to change what is good under some false beliefs of nationalism or something like that.
iii) English is one of the few advantages the country can boast of in comparision to its other Asian neighbors like China and Korea, when it comes to attracting foreign investment, promoting tourism, opening up the markets etc.
iv) In a country as diverse as India, it is probably one of the few binding factors that still holds the country together. For this alone, English should be retained.
If you've further questions, feel free to get in touch and I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities :) Good Luck with your presentation.
