Hi friends...
It’s a new beginning, for you and me... Just like first day at school... This is my first day at blogging... Please welcome me and share your thoughts with me. I am here to discuss the various happenings around us and its impact..All of us are tied down with our own schedules, duties, happiness and stresses... But as we are a part and parcel of the society, we are more or less affected by the ups and downs taking place here... As a dutiful citizen, it’s a pious duty of all of us to act and react, at any turmoil or progress is initiated... So, even if I can awaken a part of your soul and you initiating the same around you, it will be a vibration worth spreading..
Namaste...
A few days back, our Hon. Supreme Court displayed fear that the China would surpass India in English Proficiency... The statement of Hon. Supreme Court was based on the survey done by a NGO called Pratham, which states that the learning ability of English words of a child in standard 1st in India is 43.5%. Gujarat, which has recorded a milestone growth rate of 11.5% shows that not more than 25% of children can read and comprehend English at the standard 1 level (!!)
Bihar, with growth rate of 11.2% shows that only (!!) 33% children of age of 6 and 7 years [this would be the age where they are in std 1] have the ability to read English... The same data shows that Karnataka with the glitter of high high-tech education, has barely 37% of kids of standard 1, having basic knowledge of English! Orissa shows 34.5% and Jharkhand shows 41.8% are other states with low intellect of kids as per the survey (!!)
The entire survey is absolutely baseless and whole heartedly humiliating..
Firstly, the states which are shown as examples are the states that have achieved exemplary growth rate in the last 5 years... According to an eminent economist, Swaminarayan Anklesaria Aiyyar, in an article in his column Swaminomics, commented that in the 5 years, till the mid 2009, the growth rate achieved by Gujarat was 11.5% , and was highest in India.
Bihar at 2nd best registered 11.2% growth rate and that too, from the negative growth rate of -5.5%. [Magnificiant progress]. Jharkhand at 9.71% and Karnataka above 7% (which is calculated as the base percentage for desirable growth rate) have illustrious progress to show... Now, the next generation of these states, being judged as having low intellect and that too, for a frivolous reason of insufficient knowledge of a foreign language at the tender age of 6 or 7, is totally absurd..
This is the age the child learns the basic values of being a good human, responsible citizen and devoted patriot... The knowledge of a foreign language is not at all a must...
My question...
Are we preparing a society of tomorrow, without any concern for or integrity with the fellow countrymen? I have seen that the child without sufficient knowledge of mother tongue has no affinity or empathy with the society around them. These young ones grow up to condemn everything that is Indian... The essence of patriotism do not matter to them as they start speaking only in a foreign language.
India becomes foreign to them..
I do not wish to imply here that the learning English or any other foreign language is not welcome. But, the child going to an English Medium School must have to learn their mother tongue fluently and the knowledge of Indian languages should not only be compulsory but respected as much as learning Science and Math... As these languages will connect the next generation which has already stated disintegrating with their roots and our cultural heritage...
We should remember that the knowledge of English, that too at standard 1st level, should never be made a criterion for judging the intellect of our young. This trend will put undue burden on them and their teachers. The result will be that teachers will try hard to make them learn English instead of grooming their overall potential on one hand and teaching essential patriotic values on the other.
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I strongly believe that while English is necesaary to learn in order to succeed in the global environment, it is even more necessary that we and our younger generation do not ignore our native language, Gujarati. I have seen students here who have studied in English medium school and do not know how to read or write in Gujarati. They will not be able to experience the beauty of Gujarati sugam sangeet, kavita, gazal or gujarati literature. What will happen to their next generation? Will they be able to ignite love for Gujarati in them?
ReplyDeleteYes agreed English is a language which will help us communicate with the external world and will help us earn money
ReplyDeletebut the mother tongue is our link with our rich past and culture and should not be forgotten
By Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri
ReplyDeleteLet me start of by saying that I studied in an English medium school and my knowledge of Tamil (my mother tongue) is limited. I can speak fluently and read with hesitation. I work with an English language newspaper and hence I have had to focus a lot on English grammar.
One of my biggest observations is that about 80% of urban indian students speak and write pathetic English. As a language, it is taken lightly because people assume it is easy, which it isn't. What's worse, they don't even know how poor their English is and perhaps if they focused a little more on their mother tongue, they'd be more fluent at it instead! And truly this isn't about some high-funda English... its the basics that are poor and horribly lacking. And CBSE, ICSE, IB school kids are no different.
Having said that, I find the Supreme Court's observation bizarre. Perhaps it overshot the gun... But if the observation was made keeping job prospects in mind, then I agree English is the language of global communication and business and perhaps the SC believes that early focus on it will not make vernacular students feel left out in the job rat race.
Patriotic values, morals etc is the onus of the parents to a large extent, though schools must play a role in it as well. I was brought up as "Tamil at home, English in school". No we're not ashamed of our mother tongues.... but my parents sensibly are not the type to sit in Bombay and only praise Tamil Nadu. They work/criticise and love first the state they pay their taxes in...the state that they're settled in. Obviously emphasis is on Marathi as well. So now that I've grown up, i speak tamil well, i appreciate Tamilian cuisine and culture because they exposed me well to it in a manner that i would find interesting. I love bharatnatyam as much as I love rock music and salsa. And what's more, i've married a Gujarati. So the cultural learning process continues.
Morals don't need a language. As long as the message is conveyed effectively, how does it matter which language it is said in?
I know its a bit late (Very late..!!!) response to your post but I am agree with the concern you have put here. Even today, parents seems worried about their child's english. English is indeed a must language to learn when it comes to connect to outer world but a tree cant grow if it's roots are not deep enough. In other words, English will be a very simple language to learn when someone has command over his/her mothertoungue.
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