It's the effort, not the language, that helps academic success

Though we were ruled by the British for two centuries, and job opportunities were higher for English-medium students, innumerable Indians, even from well-to-do families, had their primary education in their mother tongue. First-generation learners say that switching to English for higher education was fairly smooth. Many excelled in their respective fields, having studied later in English.

With the formation of linguistic states, education in the local language was standardised and promoted in states. Enrollment in primary education went up. Many students completed their basic schooling in the state language, and a chunk of them, particularly in urban areas, then switched to English. Most who continued in the vernacular stayed back in their hometowns and aspired for government or local jobs.

Many achievers, such as A P J Abdul Kalam, N R Narayana Murthy or Narendra Modi, went on to achieve greatness in a world dominated by English, though their number was less. Lately, people want English-medium education for their kids, even among economically deprived families. The belief is that those who study in English medium inevitably get better jobs and careers. This is not entirely true.

Sociologists have confirmed that polyglots, i.e., those who master various languages, perform better in life. Those who study in the regional language and move on to English find their learning ability better than those who stuck to one language. This is perhaps why Indian students outperform locals in countries like the USA.

There are both sides to the coin. Let us take the example of Venugopal, who works as a manager in a small firm and has risen rapidly from the lowest ranks to managing multiple roles today. Hailing from a village near Bengaluru, he studied in Kannada medium.

He dropped out later and joined his family’s vocation of agriculture and dairy. Having to deal with customers of different backgrounds when supplying milk, he picked up all South Indian languages and Hindi quite fluently. Today, he can deal with people of any background without hesitation.

Despite his small struggles with documentation in English or communicating in English, he faces challenges with confidence. He does not hesitate to seek help in areas where English paperwork needs to be done.

On the other hand, many others consider themselves incompetent due to their lack of proper grasp of English. Many have had to move from one state to another and pick up a new language of their chosen region. Often, South Indians pick up Hindi and other North-Indian languages faster than those from the Hindi belt who moved to non-Hindi areas. This could be because they have learnt only Hindi, whereas others have picked up more than their mother tongue.

Children who learn different languages from their neighbourhood also seem to have an advantage over those who learn just one vernacular language. Indian polyglots have also managed to pick up foreign languages such as German, Japanese, or Arabic quite easily if they go to study or live in those countries.

The way languages are taught at schools is a restricting factor. Many teachers have been seen to thrust grammar, spelling and difficult words on the students, with very little emphasis on the language’s conversational aspects, usefulness, culture, and utility. 

There are a few students with dyslexia or other learning difficulties and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who have difficulty picking up new languages.  If early and proper identification is done, these children need not be burdened with different languages.

Families who have migrated to one state from another should encourage their children to speak the local language, read signboards and watch movies in different languages.

Similarly, there are many apps and facilities for learning a language. An example is how many children lately have been picking up Korean and songs: Proof that even a foreign language can be learnt without effort if there is an inner desire.