Chennai: English is language of elite, 54 per cent speak in Hindi, says draft NEP

Chennai: The draft New Education Policy, 2019, while making it mandatory to introduce three-language formula in all non-Hindi speaking states, says English is the language of the elite in the country who perpetrate the ‘colonial’ language. Hardly 15 per cent speak English while about 54 per cent speak Hindi.

The NEP, which also raises the problems of teachers, particularly their deployment for non-teaching activities like conducting general elections or organising or supervising noon meal centres besides insufficient salaries and vacancies, states India faces over 10 lakh teacher vacancies - a large proportion of them in rural areas.

“Since Independence, the economic elite of India have adopted English as their language; only about 15 per cent of the country speaks English, and this population almost entirely coincides with the economic elite (compared with, e.g. 54 per cent of Indians who speak Hindi). Furthermore, the elite often use English (whether deliberately or inadvertently) as a test for entry into the elite class and for the jobs that they control: English is regularly used by the elite as a criterion to determine whether someone is “educated”, and perhaps most unfortunately of all, as a prerequisite for jobs - even in cases of jobs where knowledge of English is entirely irrelevant. This sad scenario and attitude (again, it may well be inadvertent) has resulted in the marginalisation of large sections of society based on language, keeping them out of higher-paying jobs and the higher socio-economic strata,” the draft policy states.

Though English must also be available and taught in a high quality manner at all government and non-government schools, the emphasis should be on functionality and fluency. The medium of instruction, and the depth of study of literature, arts, and culture in the Indian context should be conducted and explored to the extent possible through the local language/ mother tongue and other Indian languages.

Continuation of the three language formula in schools: The three language formula, followed since 1968 will be continued, keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions and aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union. It will need to be implemented in its spirit throughout the country, promoting multilingual communicative abilities for a multilingual country, the NEP says.