भाषा नीति को भारत की वास्तविकता के अनुरूप बनाना चाहिए

EditorialLanguage policy must reflect India's realities

India’s linguistic diversity makes its equation more complex. Regional pride is intertwined with the mother tongue, and there is no reason why Indians shouldn’t acquire more than one link language

The Supreme Court’s query last month on whether English should be placed in the non-native language basket prompted the government to raise its guard last week. The question arose in the context of the CBSE’s directive to implement the three-language formula from this academic session. The Board’s May 15 circular made it mandatory for students to study three languages, at least two of them Indian. Those wanting to study a foreign language could take it as a third or additional fourth language. Relegating English to a third language was problematic, as was the short notice for implementing the order. When petitioners challenging the Board’s directive sought clarity from the Bench on English’s status last week, the CBSE opposed the request.

As things stand, English is at the intersection of aspiration and national pride. Phasing it out by degrees could hardly have been the policy’s subtext, as that boat sailed long ago. While Macaulay’s colonial design to create a class of Anglicised intermediaries is undisputed, India has outgrown that purpose. Decades after Independence, English continues alongside Hindi for official purposes, having withstood attempts to displace it with Hindi, as resistance from the South was too strong to ignore. It has become a political bulwark against language imposition. It is embedded in the Constitution and higher judiciary, and remains central to litigation, science and technology. Proficiency in English opens doors to higher education and better job prospects. India’s software boom benefitted from its large pool of English-speaking talent.

This is not an argument against the mother tongue. Proficiency in one’s first language can be crucial to a child’s cognitive development, while countries such as China and Japan have demonstrated that advanced economies can build strong education systems largely in their own languages. India’s linguistic diversity, however, makes its equation more complex. Regional pride is intertwined with the mother tongue, and there is no reason why Indians shouldn’t acquire more than one link language. The objective should be to expand access to knowledge, not restrict it by language.

As Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, “learning a language never goes to waste.” But if adding a third language increases student stress when competitive examinations are the focus, it may not be wise. The demand for policy change has to come from within society, not be imposed from the top, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said recently. Policymakers should heed this advice.

The New Indian Express

www.newindianexpress.com

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