October 7, 2024

Primary Education-Necessity of Mother-Tongue

The coming generations in the New India should be grounded in contemporary knowledge but not by muttering some ‘creolized’ English and losing touch of their original tongues and cultures.
Keywords: Education, Knowledge, Mother-tongue, Academic, Telugu, English, Lexicon, Poor, Students, NEP, Language
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In Jan 2022, the Telangana State Cabinet decided to introduce English medium in all government schools in the state from the next academic year 2022-23. The neighboring Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) has already started English Medium in all its state-government run schools this academic-year. This raises the question as to what is happening to Telugu, the state language. Now, Telugu is clearly relegated to the status of second language in the states where it is mainly spoken. In its place English is valued.

Introducing the English-subject (as the second language) from class-1 onwards is not a subject matter of discussion anymore in all states in India. However, to have English as a medium of instruction right from primary education in government-run schools, that cater to the poor and downtrodden, is a drastic step. The states have no such ecosystem. Suppose, a government school child is asked to name ten birds or ten animals or ten flowers or plants, he/she would immediately name in his/her mother-tongue. Because they are in the child’s lexicon, children see the flora-fauna around them and talk in their familiar language i.e. home/regional language. Could they do the same in English? Now, with newly introduced English, they need to relate and learn by heart English words. It is a stress on their mind. Why give them all this trouble at a creative young age?  

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF)-2005 rightly states on introduction of English (as the second language and medium of instruction), “English in India is a global language in a multilingual country …The level of introduction of English is now a matter of political response to people’s aspirations rather than an academic or feasibility issue, and people’s choices about the level of its introduction in the curriculum will have to be respected, with the proviso that we do not extend downwards the very system that has failed to deliver”.

The fad for joining in the English Medium of Instruction (EMI)) has come after liberalization of the economy in 1990 to market-forces in the opinion of many. Both in A.P. and Telangana, students aspire to I.T. jobs and parents have a feeling that English language is the enabler for fulfilling these aspirations. No one is denying the importance of English, as a subject to be taught in schools. There are number of people who studied in their mother-tongue occupying the highest positions in India. The present Chief Justice of India (CJI) studied up to college-level in his mother-tongue! Mother-tongue imparts culture, it imparts values, and it brings identity to a person. Then, why not acquire a sound foundation in the mother-tongue at the foundational-level of primary education?  

Many well-researched academicians argue against governments promoting primary education in English. The concepts of science and mathematics could be better understood in the mother-tongue, is something indisputable. Many elite and middle-class citizens in Indian society educate their children in English medium, so why a poor man shouldn’t is an argument that defies all logic. It is true that what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, but in hindsight, it has to be agreed that what those privileged sections have done was wrong. Gandhi ji said, ‘the English-education-mask has emasculated the English-educated Indian, putting a strain on his nerves and energy. With imitators (of English), no country can rise… The whole nation is emasculated. We can never become a proper Bharat’. Although Gandhiji studied his law-degree in London in English, his primary education was in Gujarati.  

Even if a child studies English as a subject (second language) in school, he/she could compete in the wider world, provided his/her English improves. What a student needs to have is an intrinsic motivation to learn the language. This is called language aptitude that leads to language-learning. There are many online tutorials, there are apps to learn English. With all digital technology available, there is no dearth of English. From the internet and T.V. Channels directly one could listen to native speakers speaking. Acquisition of pronunciation, structure and communication in English has become easier than ever before.

The government-run English medium schools are only for name-sake. Most of the private-English-medium schools (barring some convents) are also pseudo-English mediums. By studying in them, students do not become well-equipped in English. In fact, they turn out to be ill-equipped. With no proper teachers for English, what they learn is faulty English, which is a permanent impairment.  There is ample research-based evidence to show that a child should first have the primary education in his/her mother-tongue. This is for gaining basic knowledge in their most easily comprehensible mother-tongue/home language. English should be taught as a second language. Whatever knowledge a child gains in the mother-tongue is useful in any other language like English.

The undue prominence and importance given to the English language all these years, is effectively checked by the national policy to promote Indian languages (through multilingualism), after the BJP Govt. came to power at the Center with a massive popular mandate. It is to the credit of this Government at the Centre that the Indian linguistic landscape is being occupied by the national language, Hindi, which is a good sign.  According to the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, up to class-v a child should be educated in the mother-tongue/regional language. Since education comes under the concurrent list, state governments are using English Medium as a politically expedient tool to attract people. The coming generations in the New India should be grounded in contemporary knowledge but not by muttering some ‘creolized’ English and losing touch of their original tongues and cultures.

7 comments

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  • The pertinent point to note from the article is how mother tongue helps in retaining culture besides enabling comprehension of the subject. The sudden change in the medium of instruction obviously puts a child’s mind in stress and difficult as it deviates from basic educational policy which says that the initial learning should be in mother tongue or the surrounding regional atmosphere. That said the article also throws light on how the English language can be learnt in today’s context since English language is already taught as second language. Therefore forceful thrust is unwarranted but unfortunately the political compulsions emanating out of peoples choice is ill conceived considering a country like India which is a multilingual. An excellent article to dispel mis apprehensions & why mother tongue is very crucial at a tender age where the child is comfortable to relate things around. The government should once again rethink on its policy.

  • Very true. The link to mother tongue is also a means to the link to our rich heritage. Also, as rightly pointed out the NEP 2020 requires the child to be educated in mother tongue / regional language and is a step in the right direction.

  • ఆంధ్ర భోజునిగా, కన్నడ రాజ్య రమారమణగా కీర్తించబడిన శ్రీ కృష్ణదేవ రాయలు తెలుగు భాషకు దేశ భాషలందు ఉన్న ప్రాముఖ్యత దృష్ట్యా పలికిన పలుకులు ఇవి

    “ తెలుగ దేలయన్న దేశంబు తెలుగేను
    తెలుగు వల్లభుండ తెలుగొకండ
    ఎల్ల నృపులు గొలువ ఎరుగవే బాసాడి
    దేశ భాషలందు తెలుగు లెస్స ”
    —శ్రీ కృష్ణదేవ రాయలు

    I could connect with the author’s heart in her narrative, worried that our mother tongue “Telugu” is being seconded – again a thought-provoking article which is a must-read by every “Telugu” – the language has gained prominence in our times – when the avatar of the age Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba used for all of His discourses which are being heard in all parts of the world. I have no doubts that Telugu has gained the maximum coverage during His lifetime- with over 160 countries having Sai centers – foreigners during their study circle listen to Swami’s Telugu speech and then listen to the translation – same happens in our secretariat in Hyderabad where they conduct study circles on Swami’s discourses.
    Having said that, as a family each of us needs to encourage our children to learn Telugu (speak, read & write) notwithstanding whether it’s a first/second language at school – this will ensure its continuity for generations to come!

  • Primary Education-Necessity
    of Mother tongue
    —————————————-/
    Communication overcomes its barriers provided it has local base
    that is rooted in mother tongue .
    Rural masses verbatim spell out birds or animals or flowers or plants in their local dialect rather than English language.Today states armed with concurrent list item dare to introduce English as medium of instruction for children who step into Elementary ladder of Education.
    Majority of Asian, Latin American and European countries choose local dialect and international conventions like U.N. remains a concrete example.
    Thomas Haywood observes English as broken language and it has adopted basics from Latin, Greek, French, German and Sanskrit languages.
    Elementary school teachers number 83000 and only 3300 remain as trained ie 3.3 percent.
    Statistical data provides:
    A.P(9.4); Tamilnadu ( 21.6)and Karnataka (19.9).
    Development grants for Teacher Training material is as follows: Telangana(20.77 percent) compared to A.P.38.53; kerala51.74;Tamilnadu 57.57 and Karnataka 45.2 .
    In Telangana 21500 teacher posts are vacant and primary wing alone caters to 10961 and these are presently provided to Vidya volunteers.
    ‘Mana vooru Mans Badi ‘ scheme is launched by Telangana government and it has allocated 7289 crores for imparting english medium at primary stages in government schools and charters its scheme with the help of SCERT in collaboration with Azam premzi university initiating 2day orientation programme for selected teachers.
    Writer of the Article has chiseled the selected topic and created votaries for mother tongue at elementary stage as crucial for children especially who are lagging in financial straits and learning non nativity that is crowned with vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling amidst rural accent remains a Herculean task and teachers who are unskilled with infrastructure deficit , high drop out rate and teacher absenteeism may harm the standards of Education as a whole in the state.

  • Just an Introduction: In this article I aired my opinion on Telangana Govt introducing English Medium in state-run government schools from the foundational level ie Primary Education onwards in the next academic year 2022-23. National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) says upto Class-V mother-tongue or regional language is good for a child to understand and gain knowledge.
    You are free to air your views, if any, in this regard at the article site. There’s a provision for voice over. One could play and listen to what the article is all about. Thanks
    Communication overcomes its barriers provided it has local basethat is rooted in mother tongue .
    Rural masses verbatim spell out birds or animals or flowers or plants in their local dialect rather than English language.Today states armed with concurrent list item dare to introduce English as medium of instruction for children who step into Elementary ladder of Education.
    Majority of Asian, Latin American and European countries choose local dialect and international conventions like U.N. remains a concrete example.
    Thomas Haywood observes English as broken language and it has adopted basics from Latin, Greek, French, German and Sanskrit languages.
    Elementary school teachers number 83000 and only 3300 remain as trained ie 3.3 percent.
    Statistical data provides:
    A.P(9.4); Tamilnadu ( 21.6)and Karnataka (19.9).
    Development grants for Teacher Training material is as follows: Telangana(20.77 percent) compared to A.P.38.53; kerala51.74;Tamilnadu 57.57 and Karnataka 45.2 .
    In Telangana 21500 teacher posts are vacant and primary wing alone caters to 10961 and these are presently provided to Vidya volunteers.
    ‘Mana vooru Mans Badi ‘ scheme is launched by Telangana government and it has allocated 7289 crores for imparting english medium at primary stages in government schools and charters its scheme with the help of SCERT in collaboration with Azam premzi university initiating 2day orientation programme for selected teachers.
    Writer of the Article has chiseled the selected topic and created votaries for mother tongue at elementary stage as crucial for children especially who are lagging in financial straits and learning non nativity that is crowned with vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling amidst rural accent remains a Herculean task and teachers who are unskilled with infrastructure deficit , high drop out rate and teacher absenteeism may harm the standards of Education as a whole in the state,

  • I partially agree with author comments.
    Now a days all parents are joining their kids in English Medium by default.One of the main reason is stated by author in article that “employment in MNC’s( MultiNational Company) for IT and service sector jobs”. BPL and below Middle class families are not able to join their kids because of they cannot be affordable.
    I strongly believes “Poverty is Violence” as stated by Mrs. Elabhatt (Founder of SEWA) , in similar mode “Intolerance is violence. This violence can be stopped by providing good education along with bundle of opportunities. Is it possible to crack IBPS or RRB or any central government exams without English? Governments are setting their first and foremost required criteria for any job is “English “ , then no matter for studying in regional mediums. 20% people are succeeded like CJI , VP etc,we have to consider they are exceptional. We need to bother about 80% students development instead of 20%. Students. We Need to compare the life style of students “Regional Medium” Vs “English Medium”. Any graduate with aggregate 50% scored from English medium background can get easily job in any BPO company with minimum wage of 20K per month, but is it possible for regional medium graduates? This is what I want to say that “Intolerance”.
    In my view entire State Board, CBSE and ICSE are following byheart system instead of enhancing creativity and innovative skills of students by their own . All parents are targeting NEET or JEE. What are doing majority of passed outs from IIT’s ? What message is giving to society by Majority of IITIANS?
    as per my analysis “ parents are pushing their kids in trouble rather than government decisions”.
    Why 80% government employees are not joining their kids in Government Schools? Statistics will play major role on such a decisions by both AP/TS governments.
    I am frequently interacting with Russia and China clients , as I see they are very poor in English and observed that they do have one translator for English to Their local language, but still they are surviving because of they do have bundle of opportunities at their own country. Do we have?
    Finally I am concluding that i am welcoming decision of TS and AP for such a initiation for poor people, but I am not sure about implementation part as we all are aware and facing in existing system.

  • I too join Indira garu to raise my voice against English as the medium of instruction from elementary level. This is like removing a child from his/her mother’s lap. Here I would like to quote Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.”

Indira G.

Indira G is associated with the organisation Pragna Bharati, Hyderabad and is Incharge-Publications. She also contributes to Opindia and other news platforms.

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