In Goa these days everybody seems to have become an expert on education with statements on Medium of Instruction being issued day in and day out. It is high time I feel that this chapter be closed. The Government in its practical wisdom and in the given circumstances has taken the right decision. As the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi/ the Education Minister of Delhi has rightly stated in a debate on NDTV that “medium is not an issue in Education”.
According to RTE, it is the bounden duty of the government to fund education in government and government aided institution. That’s the LAW. As far as medium is concerned the same RTE says that mother tongue should be used “as far as practicable”. I looked up the meaning of the word practicable in my overused Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary and this is what I found: “capable of being used or turned to account”. In the global context English fits this definition better than others.
Bhagwan Dayal Sharma Srivastava writes in ‘The Development of Modern Indian Education’ that till the first half of the 19th century elementary education in India was in Sanskrit (page 3) whereas for Muslims it was Persian. They were not the mother tongues of the students. Moreover Researchers like C.L.Wren say that these languages have originated from beyond the boundaries of India. The students were studying in these languages because these were needed for higher education. Does our situation appear to be the same?
In reality we have to be appreciative of our primary teachers who have been intelligently using the bilingual method – without actually being prescribed – where the concept is conveyed in the vernacular and the students have no problem in understanding it. However their problem lies in expressing themselves in English when they go to the higher classes. Hence equipping them right from the primary classes to express themselves in English is the right approach. They have no problem in expressing themselves in the local languages.
Therefore because of our vested interests let us not mar the future of our children. Let there be no politicking in Education. Please leave it alone. Let our children learn without being disturbed.
