During
the pre-independent period, English as a language enjoyed a very prestigious
position and played a dominant role as a school subject.
The present status of
English in our country is totally different and very dismal. It is no longer
the medium of instruction even in the field of higher education. It does not
occupy the position of the first language in our curriculum. It is taught as a
second language in certain states and as a third language in certain other
states of the country including Andhra Pradesh. In the post-independence era,
due to the rise of political consciousness, there had been a demand for
befitting education suitable to our conditions and circumstances. This led to a
controversy among the Indian leaders regarding the status in our country.
English at
the Secondary Education Stage
Different commissions were employed to
show a feasible solution regarding the place to be given to English in Indian
education. They suggested different solution and different directions. The kunzru Committee felt that as more
than 80% of the population lives in villages, it has little use of English.
Hence, study of English should not be made compulsory at the primary school
stage. The Committee also felt that Secondary and Higher Education should not
aim at preparing students to University Education alone. Instead they should
aim at preparing them for the various occupations and life in general.
The Secondary
Education Commission recommended that the mother tongue should be taught
throughout the secondary school stage. However two more languages should be
introduced in the middle school stage. English and another Indian language with
regard to the medium of instruction, The Official
Language Act of 1963 and the Amendment Bill of 1967 recommended the
replacement of English by the regional languages of the country. The Kothari Commission opined that only the mother tongue or the regional
language should be taught to classes 1 to 4, second language to classes 5 to
7and third language to classes 8 to10. The study group headed by Prof. V.K. Gokak recommended that
English should not be introduced earlier than class 5.
English at
the Higher Education Stage
The University Education Commission believed that a void would be
created if English is abandoned completely. It said, “English must continue to
be studied at higher education…….. If we give up English under sentimental
urges, we will cut ourselves off from the living stream of ever growing
knowledge”.
Regarding the
medium of instruction there is no division of opinion as far as the school
stage is concerned. But with regards to higher education there is a
controversy. The Kothari Commission recommended that the medium of instruction
at both levels, namely the secondary and the higher education stages should be
the same. It further opined that regional languages should be adopted at the
higher education stage too. The University
Grants Commission, on the other hand, felt that switching over to regional
language from English as medium of instruction should be slow. It recommended
that the change over should be completed within a period of ten years.
The National Policy
on Education (NPE) 1986 recommended that Hindi, the national language should be
strengthened as a link language and English as the language of science and
technology.
1.2.1
ENGLISH AS A GLOBAL (INTERNATIONAL) LANGUAGE
English is the language spoken
and understood not only by the people of the different states of India but also
by the people of the different countries of the world. One of every ten persons
in the world knows English. It is the first language in U.K., the U.S.A.,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand and second language in U.S.S.R., Japan,
Pakistan, France, Africa etc. The number of people speaking English is over 400
million which is next only to Chinese language. Three fourths of the world’s
mail, half the number of the world’s newspapers, over three fifths of the
world’s radio and television stations and more than half of the world’s
scientific and technical journals and periodicals use English as medium of
expression.
English is a global
language in the sense that it helps in interlinking the relationships of people
living in the different countries of the world. The world today has now come
under one umbrella as it was never before. The following factors indicate the
importance of English as a global language.
a) English
language brings the people of the different nations of the world closer and
leads to better understanding among them.
b) The latest
information in the fields of science and technology is available only in
English language.
c) English
dominates in the wealth creating industries of computer and information
technology.
d) English is
the language of official communication in the Olympic Games, Air Travel
Maritime control.
e) Along the
French, English is the working language of the United Nations and one of the
six official languages of the U.N.
f) English has
wealth of literature and knowledge enshrined in it.
g) Even writer
with other native languages prefer to write in English for it has a global
appeal and a global market.
h) English is
easy to learn for it has less number of letters in its alphabet and lesser
grammar when compared to other languages.
