“English-medium” schools or vernacular schools: Which is our best bet?

 

“English-medium” schools or vernacular schools: Which is our best bet?

Sujay Rao Mandavilli

 

History of education in India

After the Gurukula system, where initiation was undertaken by a preceptor, other notable centers of learning began to be established. After the dawn of the Buddhist era, Buddhist scholars began to move southward towards present day Tamilnadu establishing stupas in Amaravati and the Visakhapatnam region at Sankaram, Bojanakonda and Thotlakonda. However, the jewel in the crown is the ancient learning institute established at Takshashila or Taxila around 800 BC or so in the Punjab region of present-day Pakistan. In the words of eminent and redoubtable archaeologist John Marshall, "In early Buddhist literature, particularly in the Jatakas which are a voluminous body of literature dated to sometime after 600 BC, Taxila is frequently mentioned as a university centre where students could get instruction in almost any subject, religious or secular, from the Veda to mathematics and medicine, even to astrology and archery."Even though some scholars to not consider Taskashila to be a full-fledged university in the modern sense, Nalanda university, is one of the world’s oldest universities in the modern sense of the term; learning rooms existed here, and subjects were taught in the Pali language. The university housed a large number of books, and attracted a large number of scholars from the subcontinent and elsewhere. Nalanda is now a UNESCO world heritage site, but Nalanda itself was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khiljiin the 1190’s; he had sought to eradicate and destroy Buddhist culture in its entirety. After sometime around 500 BC, institutions are also believed to have cropped up in places such as Vikramashila, Odantapuri, and other places in North India. Chanakya of the fourth century BC, was a famous Indian thinker; he had authored a book called the Arthasastra, a treatise on politics and economics. In later times, Shramanas and Brahmanas supported educations by means of donations; education was mostly religious in nature, but secular subjects such as medicine and archery were also taught.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the founder of the Bramho Samaj, emerged as one of the leading intellectuals in the nineteenth century; is called the father of the modern Indian Renaissance due to the changes he instituted in India. He is also sometimes known as the ‘Father of Modern India’ or ‘Father of the Bengal Renaissance’ for his lasting contributions to education; Roy believed that English-language education was superior to the traditional Indian education system, and suggested that Indians learn English and acquire a western education. From the 1820’s, he founded many schools to educate Indians in Western scientific education through the medium of the English language. Roy also supported the Scottish watchmaker and philanthropist David Hare’s efforts to found the Hindu College in 1817, and in 1825, he established Vedanta College where courses in both Indian learning and Western social and physical sciences were offered.[1][2]

History of the English language in India

In 1835, the English Education Act was passed by the British government in India. This was a legislative Act of the Council of India, and gave effect to a decision made in the year 1835 by Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor-General of the British East India Company. This act made English formal medium of education in all schools and colleges, and brought to end a vicious debate between supporters of English and vernacular languages as a medium of education. The Macaulay Minute is named after Thomas Babbington Macaulay’s proposal to promote the English language in India, and introduce the English education system there. Indeed, he proposed that English be taught instead of Arabic, Sanskrit, and Persian in colonial schools in India. He had stated, “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population." However, the Indian education system then was neither broad or wide in scope, and only a small section of Indian elites benefitted.  The English language in India took off by the end of the nineteenth century, and many Indians even used it among each other to communicate because they spoke many different languages. Strangely, Indians even used in their freedom struggle against the British. Paradoxically, after independence, the English language in India neither declined nor disappeared.

English after independence

In 1906, Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his book Hind Swaraj or Home Rule, “A universal language for India should be Hindi, with the option of writing it in Persian or Nagari characters. In order that the Hindus and the Mohammedans may have closer relations, it is necessary to know both the characters. And, if we can do this, we can drive the English language out of the field in a short time.” In spite of significant differences between Mahatma Gandhi and other Congressmen at the time (Mahatma Gandhi also supported Hindustani at times), the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi reigned supreme, and the policies of Mahatma Gandhi tended to be widely accepted in the Congress. This was in spite of the fact that the seeds for linguistic provinces were sown in the early 20th century itself. For example, the Indian National Congress in 1917 decided to constitute a separate Andhra Congress Provincial committee. A consensus was also slowly emerging that administration had to be provided in a language that was understood by its people. In spite of a potential conflict between Hindi as a national language and the concept of linguistic provinces, however, the Congress, at that time naturally wanted to avoid partition and show that it was not opposed to the interests of the Muslims, and emphasized religious harmony over linguistic identity.

Many people from the Hindi speaking states believed the Hindi was the national language of India, and would elbow out English in due course. On the 10th of December 1946, which was the first day of business in parliament, R. V. Dhulekar of the United Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh, moved an amendment. When he began speaking in Hindustani, the Chairman reminded him that many members did not know the language. This was Dhulekar’s reply: “People who do not know Hindustani have no right to stay in India. People who are present in this House to fashion a Constitution for India and do not know Hindustani are not worthy to be members of this Assembly. They had better leave”.

The remarks created a major uproar in the House, and a commotion ensued. “Order, order!”, shouted the Chairman of the proceedings, but Dhulekar then moved that ‘the Procedure Committee should frame rules in Hindustani and not in English. As an Indian I appeal that we, who are out to win freedom for our country and are fighting for it should think and speak in our own language. We have all along been talking of America, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and House of Commons. It has given me a headache. I wonder why Indians do not speak in their own language. As an Indian I feel that the proceedings of the House should be conducted in Hindustani. We are not concerned with the history of the world. We have the history of our own country of millions of past years”. Therefore, there were protests against the imposition of Hindi or the alleged imposition of Hindi particularly in the South Indian states. In Tamil Nadu, the voices of opposition were the strongest. As a matter of fact, Tamils had been opposing the imposition of Hindi since 1937. However, not many people supported the idea of English becoming the “National language of India”, except for some stray people like CV Raman.  

Accordingly, the Indian constitution provided that Hindi and English were to be the languages of the Central Government until 1965, when a switch to Hindi would be necessary. Provinces were however free to use their own languages. Even at the time the decision to select the language of a region as a national language proved controversial and invoked protest from several parts of South India, Western India, North Eastern India but particularly in Tamilnadu. The strongest of these protests took place in December, 1964 and January 1965 in Tamilnadu when the 15 year mandate for phasing out English at the Central government was to expire. Several hundreds of people were killed in these agitations. The Central government then mandated that the usage of English would continue indefinitely in India for all practical purposes. This is the story of how English survived in India, and how movements to displace it failed for all practical purposes.

Since then, many aspects and factors have strengthened the case for English in India. One was the process of globalization dictated by the suzerainty of the USA and the impregnability of English as the language of global commerce. Another was the advent of the computer and the Internet. Another factor may have been ingrained in the very nature of the Indian economy: India is a complex country and many parts of the country have economic connections with other parts of the world and not necessarily with the Hindi heartland. This is one reason why India may have become an economic success story after economic reforms. A complete incompatibility between the language policies of the Centre and the States could be constitutionally imagined and adopted by various States. This played a major role in the perpetuation of English. We could also interpret the provisions of the Constitution to sustain an incompatibility between India’s language policy and the Constitution, which only decreed that Hindi was the official language of the Central government and that it would replace English for use in Central government offices and for correspondence with States only after all States have unanimously agreed. Most other multi-ethnic societies like Canada, Mauritius, the European Union and Switzerland emphasize on Unity in Diversity, and do not allow state-sponsored discrimination between languages. Therefore, putting all this in perspective, India may have survived and prospered as a result of natural and automatic course corrections to outdated language policies and not because of them.

English-medium schools

A decade or so after India’s liberalization, and the emergence of the information technology sector and the knowledge economy, the realization of the importance of the English language not only as a global lingua franca, but also as a language of empowerment and upward mobility dawned upon parents and students. The massive push for English started with India’s claim that it had an English-language advantage that would make it the world’s leading “knowledge economy” and the belief that English is the only way out. People also believed that it would close the skills gap, offer plenty of employment opportunities and help the country progress as well. The craze for English medium schools has increased even in more conservative states like Gujarat, where Gujarati was always given more prominence.  In the ongoing battle and tussle between Gujarati medium schools and English medium schools in Gujarat, English medium schools slowly appear to be gaining the upper hand. According to data from the state’s education department there were more applications for English medium schools than Gujarati medium schools. This craze has not spared Hindi-speaking states either. English-medium schools are now extremely popular, and in the state of Rajasthan, the demand for Mahatma Gandhi English medium schools is so high, that there is a scramble for the limited number of seats available. The state government therefore, plans to increase the number of English-medium schools in the state. In 2023, the Himachal Pradesh government gave its approval and consent to introduce English as medium of instruction in all government primary schools.

The English language has indeed given India a competitive advantage over China particularly in the services sector. However, not everything is hunky-dory, and English cannot be the sole panacea for all ills. Most teachers are not trained in English, and cannot speak English properly. There is of course no substitute for the quality of teaching and the quality of education which remains poor in most cases. The Author once knew of a boy who went to a so-called English medium school in a remote village in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. The school was quite literally, a sham. The boy ended up learning virtually no English, and cannot for all practical purposes, understand it, or converse in it. Hindi was his second language, which he cannot speak. He can only speak his mother tongue Telugu, but cannot read or write in it. In other words, the boy was functionally illiterate. English is a spot on at least when it comes to language dynamics because English is a neutral language, while Hindi is not. However, we must also bear in mind the fact that language dynamics do change slowly, and that English may not necessarily remain firmly entrenched in the long-term. Japan and South Korea has also progressed admirably with a limited knowledge of English.  Another question is this: Will artificial intelligence slowly reduce the demand for the English language? In order to answer this question, we must perform at the outset, a role-based analysis, a function-based analysis, and a context-based analysis. Whatever may be the outcome, a balanced assessment is required always.  The government cannot also do away with English medium schools entirely; people will go to court. After all, elites contribute significantly to the Indian economy.

The New Education Policy of 2020

This National Education Policy of 2020 is the Indian government’s first education policy of the twenty-first century and seeks to address the ever-changing requirements of the nation. This Policy proposes a complete overhaul of all aspects of the education system, including its regulation and governance, to meet the requirements of contemporary times, while at the same time, building upon India’s traditions and value systems. The National Education Policy of 2020 emphasizes not only foundational capacities, but also higher order skills such as creativity, critical thinking and problem solving – but also social, ethical, and emotional capacities and dispositions. The NEP also recommends education in either the mother tongue or the local language wherever possible, given that students indeed understand concepts better in the mother tongue, but does not make it mandatory. There is a mention of English in a few places, but its importance has not been adequately emphasized, and its growing popularity has not been gauged. There is no mention of the lexical development of Indian languages, either.

What then is the way out?

Our approach is to make vernacular medium schools more appealing, and leave the ultimate choice to parents and children. At the same, time English must not be neglected, and attempts must be made to impart a knowledge of the language in a simple and in an effective way. There are indeed benefits of English medium schools, and many other benefits of education in the mother tongue. Planners must recognize this. Readers may also refer to our papers on language dynamics wherever necessary, and these provide a theoretical foundation for understanding how and why languages spread. The following points must also then be borne in mind:               

1.       Better infrastructure: Infrastructure is pathetic and dismal to say the least in government schools. Blackboards are broken, lights and fans do not work, and there are inadequate toilet facilities. Improving facilities in government schools will attract more students to government schools.

2.       Reliable power supply: Reliable power supply continues to be a problem, particularly in rural regions. This makes for computerization and automated teaching methods including the introduction of AI teaching assistants difficult.

3.       A transferable skills approach may be adopted: More and more English may be introduced as students grow older, and as their intellectual faculties increase.  A similar proposal was mooted in Karnataka several years ago.

4.       Some subjects may be taught in English, some subjects in the mother tongue: This technique was attempted in Malaysia.  

5.       The lexical development of Indian languages must be indeed attempted, and strategies for this are lacking. We had dwelt upon this in a previous paper; readers may refer to this for greater clarity.

6.       There must be a greater focus on English even in vernacular schools: English may be taught for upto twelve hours a week or more so that students thoroughly grasp the language.  

7.       There must be a greater emphasis on functional and technical English: Aspects such as poetry or classical literature may be left out, or made optional as they do not add value for all practical purposes.

8.       More emphasis on subjects and on technical knowledge: There must be a greater emphasis on subjects and technical knowledge: Both parents and students do not appear to understand the importance of this.

9.       No intrusion into culture: There must be no intrusion into culture. Antiquated laws such as banning conversing in the mother tongue, or in the local language must be scrapped.  

---

[1] Reverend Krishnamohan Bandyopadhyaya (in Bengali) by Mayukh Das, Kolkata:Paschimbanga Anchalik Itihas O Loksanskriti Charcha Kendra (2014)

[2] Caton, Alissa. "Indian in Colour, British in Taste: William Bentinck, Thomas Macaulay, and the Indian Education Debate, 1834-1835." Voces Novae 3.1 (2011): pp 39–60