STUDY OF LANGUAGES
 

The Secondary Education Commission was greatly impressed with the amount of interest evinced in all States in the study of language at the school stage. No subjects attracted greater attention and we found not infrequently that strong opinions were expressed on the so- called language controversy. In the memoranda that were presented to us and in the discussion that we had with witnesses in different parts of the States, certain fundamental considerations were urged upon us. In view of the development of regional languages in the different parts of the country and the languages spoken in such areas, it may not be practicable or desirable to attempt to lay down a uniform. policy for the whole country. On the contrary some witnesses were strongly of the opinion that there should be some uniformity in regard to the study of the languages and that there was need for a definite policy to be laid down on an all-India basis. It was claimed by some that there should be one language which will be known throughout the length and breadth of the country and that Hindi which is prescribed as the official language at the Centre should be studied compulsorily.

Groups of Languages

We realise that there are five distinct groups, of languages which have to be taken into consideration:-(1) the mother-tongue; (2) the regional language when it is not the mother-tongue; (3) the official language of the Centre, more commonly called the Federal Language; (4) the classical languages-Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Latin, etc.; and (5) English which has come to be recognised as an international language. In those areas where the mother-tongue and the regional language are the same, the number of languages to be taken into consideration will be limited to four and in those areas where the regional language, the mother-tongue and the language of the Union are the same, the number of languages to be taken into consideration will be limited to three. So far as the Federal language or the official language of the Centre is concerned we feel that the areas in the different parts of the country may be divided into three regional groups: (1) regions where Hindi is the mother- tongue, and therefore, is the regional language as well as the language of the Centre; (2) regions where although it is not the mother-tongue, Hindi is spoken by a large number of people of the region; (3) regions where Hindi is neither the mothertongue nor the regional language nor spoken or understood by the vast majority of the people. These are generally spoken of as non Hindi speaking areas.

Languages and the Constitution

In the course of our discussion more than one witness referred to the provisions in the Constitution with regard to the languages. Some

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held the view that the Constitution has laid down that a particular language should be taught throughout India or that another language should be discarded from our schools in the course of 15 years. In view of such diverse opinions we have felt it desirable to state exactly what is provided in the Constitution about languages. The Constitution lays down "that the official language of the Union shall be Hindi and that for a period of 15 years from the commencement of the Constitution, English language shall continue to be used for all the official purposes of the Union for which it was being used immediately before Web commencement" It also lays down that Parliament may by majority vote provide for the use, after the said period of 15 years, of the English language. Under Article 345 of the Constitution it is stated that "the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the State; provided that until the legislature of the State otherwise provides by law, the English language shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this Constitution". It also lays down that "the language for the time being authorised for use in the Union for official purposes shall be the official language for communication between one State and another State and between a State and the Union; provided that if two or more States agree that the Hindi language should be the official language for communication between such States, that language may be used for such communication. The President may, if he is satisfied that a substantial proportion of the population of a State desire for use of any language spoken by them to be recognised by that State, direct that such language shall also be officially recognised throughout that State or any part thereof for such purpose as he may specify". Under the special directives, it is stated that "it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius the forms, style and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the eighth schedule, and by drawing whenever necessary or desirable, for its vocabulary primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages."

We have quoted somewhat in extenso the provisions of the Con- stitution, as time and again we found that witnesses had diverse views on what was envisaged in the Constitution and the manner in which education should be developed. From a careful study of the provisions in the Constitution it may be inferred that two objectives were kept in view. Firstly, that Hindi will eventually be used by the Union Government in all official correspondence with the States, and for communication between one State and another, or between a State and the Union. Secondly, Hindi should be developed so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India.

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Study of Hindi in the States

During the course of our investigation, we found that the States had taken different steps to make Hindi a subject of study at the school stage. Broadly speaking, steps taken are: (1) in some States Hindi is not merely a compulsory subject of study but it is also made the medium of instruction and examination throughout the school stage; (2) Hindi is a compulsory subject of study at the school stage and it is a subject of examination but the medium of instruction is the regional language; (3) in others Hindi is a compulsory subject as one of the languages to be studied, but although a test is provided, the result of the test is not taken into consideration for promotion; and (4) in a few States the provisions for the teaching of Hindi is compulsory in all schools but Hindi as a subject of study is optional so far as the pupils, are concerned, and it is not regarded as a subject for examination. With regard to the last category, we were given to understand that although it was an optional subject 80 to 85 per cent of the pupils had voluntarily taken to the study of Hindi in these areas. It was also brought to our notice that in certain areas, the introduction of the study of Hindi as a compulsory subject had provoked opposition, and steps had to be taken to modify the rules framed thereunder. When, however, it was made optional, study of Hindi was taken by a large number of students.

Position of English in the Schools

A review of the present position of the study of English at the Secondary school stage in the different States may be of interest. In most States prior to 1937, English was not only a compulsory subject of study but also the medium of instruction in the secondary schools; the languages to be studied by the pupil were two, English and the mother-tongue or regional language or a classical language. Subsequently the medium of instruction was changed and at present in practically all States the medium of instruction is either the mother-tongue or the regional language. English is, however, a compulsory subject of study at the Secondary stage in practically all the States. In this connection it may be pointed out (i) that English is allowed to be the medium of instruction in schools where the students admitted are largely those whose mother-tongue is English, (ii) in view of the difficulties experienced by a certain number of pupils who had to migrate from one part of the country to the other and who could not easily take to a new regional language, English was allowed to be continued in some schools as the medium of instruction and as a language of study.

The Position of Linguistic Minorities

The Central Advisory Board of Education considered in 1949 the case of pupils belonging to certain minority groups, whose mother- tongue was different from the regional language, and passed the fol- lowing resolution :

"That the medium of instruction in the Junior Basic stage must be the mother-tongue of the child and that where the mother-

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"If, however, the number of pupils speaking a language other than the Regional or State languages is sufficient to justify a separate school in any area, the medium of instruction in such a school may be the language of the pupils. Such arrangements would, in particular, be necessary in metropolitan cities or places were large population speaking different languages live or areas with a floating population of' different languages. Suitable provision should be made by the provincial authorities for the recognition of such schools. imparting education through a medium other than the Regional or State language."

We have received a communication from the Chairman of the Inter- State Board for Anglo-Indian Education, inviting the attention of the Commission to certain special guarantees that have been given in Article 337 of the Constitution and also to the Fundamental Rights, guaranteed under Article 30 of the Constitution. Article 30 states: "(1) All minorities whether based on religion or language, shall have: the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. (2) The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language." These provisions being obligatory, we have no doubt that the governments at the Centre and the States will adopt necessary steps to see to the fulfilment of such obligations as are laid upon them by the Constitution.

We have given in brief the present position in regard to study of languages in the different States. So far as the medium of instruction is concerned in most of the schools in the States, the present position is that either the mother-tongue or the regional language has been adopted as the medium of instruction. Where minorities exist provision is made to give instruction in the mother- tongue, if the minimum number of pupils is available.

The Purpose of Language Study

The question has often been raised in the course of our discussions as to the number of languages that can be learnt by pupils in the

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Secondary schools and at what stages the study of these languages should be commenced. Some maintain that we should, while considering this problem, take into account the purpose which is to be served by the study of each of these languages. We do not wish to dogmatise on such very important issues which should be treated on the academic plane and on the principles of pedagogy. But we agree that there should be a clear' perspective of the purpose of study of each of these languages. It is ordinarily accepted that the mother-tongue is the most suitable language as a medium of instruction for the child beginning its study. If the same advance had taken place in regional languages as has taken place in many foreign languages, mother-tongue or regional languange would have been the medium of instruction at all stages of the educational ladder. As the regional language is likely to be the language used by the majority in the region it is desirable to acquire knowledge of this language. In view of the difficulties in particular regions to cater to the needs of very small groups and the paucity of teachers of the particular language, linguistic minorities isolated in different regions who would not come under the provisions of the Resolution passed by the Central Advisory Board of Education in this behalf may have to adopt the regional language as the medium of instruction. However, we have already referred to the provision in some States for linguistic minorities to be given the option of having their children taught through the mother-tongue, and we believe this is a wise policy in the general interests of all concerned.

Place of Hindi

The importance of learning Hindi has been stressed, since it has been adopted in the Constitution as the official language of the Centre. Hindi will be eventually the language used for purposes of all official correspondence between the Centre and most of the States, and as a large number of people speak this language, it may also become the language of communication for other than official purposes. In other words, it is expected to become the lingua franca of the country. It is therefore stressed that Hindi should be made a compulsory subject of study in the school course as otherwise those who do not study Hindi may be handicapped at a later stage if they wish either to enter service or to communicate more freely with those parts of India where the language is commonly used. It is also stated that a common language like Hindi if known all over the country, would promote national unity and solidarity. Some of our witnesses have not seen eye to eye with the statement that language necessarily promotes unity. They have referred to many other countries where different languages have been recognised as State languages. Thus in Switzerland four languages, German, French, Italian besides a modified form of Latin are recognised as official languages of the State and all correspondence is sent in the four languages; Likewise in Canada, English and French are recognised as official languages; while in South Africa, Afrikans, Dutch and English are the three languages accepted.

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Place of English

A great deal of controversy also exists about the place of English in the scheme of studies. As a result of historical causes, English has come to be the one language that is widely known among the educated classes of the country. It was stressed by some of our witnesses that much of the national unity in political and other spheres of activity has been brought about through the study of English language and literature and modern Western thought by all educated Indians. They also stated that the present position of India in the international sphere is partly due to the command that educated Indians have acquired over' English. Many eminent educationists and scientists have, therefore, expressed the opinion that under no circumstances should we sacrifice the many advantages that we have gained by the study of English. They hold that in matters pertaining to education, sentiment should not be the ruling factor and that what was most urgently needed was that our youth acquire knowledge from all sources and contribute their share to its expansion and development. In the attainment of this objective, study of English was bound to play an important part. On the other hand, some of our witnesses have pressed the view that it is unnatural and inconsistent with the present position of the country to prescribe a foreign language as a compulsory subject of study. They have also drawn our attention to the greater importance given to English in the past and the consequent neglect of other languages and other subjects of the curriculum. They feel that the whole position of English in the educational system needs to be re-examined in the new set-up particularly at the Middle and High school level. They are definitely opposed to the introduction of English at the basic stage, i.e., the first 7 or 8 years of a child's education.

Place of Classical Languages

The classical languages have always exercised great attraction though for a relatively small proportion of the educated people of any -country. To the bulk of Indians, Sanskrit which is mother of most Indian languages has always appealed both from the cultural and religious point of view. In the present state of affairs and in the light of the controversies that have been raging round the languages to be ,studied, many have deplored the fact that the classical language is being completely ignored. The number of persons that take to classical studies is diminishing rapidly and if this continues it is felt that the ,study of the classics which is of such immense value may eventually be completely neglected. There is a great deal to be said in favour of the view that the study of this language should be promoted and that those who wish to take to it should be given every encouragement possible. What has been stated about Sanskrit may also be said about the other classical languages. Those who have delved deep in the classical languages of Arabic and Persian or the few who have taken to Latin or Greek have likewise a feeling that these studies may not find a place in the future unless due provision is made for their study at the school stage.

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Study of the Languages in Foreign Counties

In the light of all these observations and with the conflicting opinions that have been expressed on occasions with so much of vehem- ence, our task in approaching dispassionately a consideration of the place of languages in Secondary schools has by no means been easy. We have therefore sought light on this subject from other countries; and we give below the information kindly furnished by some of the foreign embassies in India on the position of the study of languages at the Secondary school.

In France, English is taught in all Secondary schools from begin- ning, (i.e., from the age of 11 as an average), but it is not compulsory; a pupil may prefer to take German, Italian, Spanish, or any other language taught in that institution. in fact, English and German are the only two languages which are taught everywhere, the choice of the student being divided more or less equally. The teaching of a foreign language (or of two, if one does not study Latin) goes on until the end of the school course, which always includes a test in foreign language.