LANGUAGE
 

Language constitutes the crucial area requiring bold approach exploiting it as means of liberating minds, as a powerful instrument of creative thinking, and even for universalisation of elementary education, equalisation of educational opportunities and promoting national integration and unity.

Three language Formula

There is a general support for implementation of three language formula. However, there is a explicit support for more felxibility in the choice of second and third language where second language is any other Indian language and the third language is any foreign language. A voluntary welfare association from Karnataka urges not to make English a compulsory subject and teach it rather as an optional subject from Vth onwards.

Medium of Instruction

It is strongly urged that the medium of instruction at elementary level should be the mother tongue or regional/state language. A youth forum from Madras feels: "All Subjects including science and mathematics should be taught in mother tongue. This is suggested particularly with a view to take education to the deprived groups and facilitate early universalisation of education". The forum stresses that the backward classes are not in position to take advantage of education which is imparted in a language in which they have not been familiar. It benefits the upper class people and "the brain drain" "is usually from them only." It goes on to add that "All of us must learns in our, own mother tongue only and a common language is to be clearly specified for India and one must be taught that language whatever may be the opposition to that from any quarter (this language must be India and a third languages a foreign one, need not necessarily to be English".

8

A Voluntary association from Rajasthan feels that the state level education should be imparted in the state language, and Hindi should constitute the national language at the national level. An another forum has opined that medium or instruction should be in the national language or the state language.

Place of Sanskrit

Some institutions/associations have also pleaded for compulsory teaching of sanskrit the mother of Indian languages and "a treasure house of India's living history and civilisation".