Bilingual's the way to go

‘English Medium’ Debate

The Karnataka government has, as a policy decision, instructed the department of elementary and secondary school education to introduce ‘English medium’ instruction in 1,000 elementary schools from this academic year. The policymakers argue that this policy shift will bring uniformity in the private and public education system and ensure that all students have equal access to quality education and employment. This decision of the government is worthy and requires the attention of academic scholars and researchers. However, this policy raises several questions, the key ones being: will the introduction of ‘English medium’ in rural government schools improve the quality of instruction? Will it help our rural students match the academic competency of their urban counterparts?

Karnataka is a multilingual and multicultural state. Kannada is the mother tongue of a majority of the population, but not all. A sizeable population speaks Urdu at home, and others speak Tulu, Konkani, Kodava, Toda, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi and other Indian languages.

English remains the second official language in India and continues to enjoy a higher social status than regional languages. Research has shown that English is the language of power and it is used in higher education as the medium of instruction. English is also the official language in the upper levels of administration, executive, judiciary and civil services. It is the language of high ‘market value’. Meanwhile, our regional languages remain ‘minority’ languages; they have a lower status and play no significant role in education and officialdom.

Recent research reveals that the quality of education in private schools is higher, as students display creative thinking and problem-solving skills at various levels of education, as opposed to public school students, who are dependent on rote learning. Primary schooling should allow the use of students’ mother tongues to enable conceptual understanding and cognitive development. The current mode of instruction in a second language is not only confusing for children but also gives rise to ‘subtractive bilingualism’. Research on bilingual education has shown that ‘additive bilingualism’, developing competency in both languages, have distinct cognitive advantages over monolingualism. Children in ‘English only’ schools, however, develop the basic interpersonal communication competency in English, but they seldom master critical thinking ability.

Some major language policy failures are responsible for the fractured system of education. Unfortunately, efforts made by various language commissions have resulted in failure. Other important factors include unstable governments, resistance of elitist forces to change the status quo so that power is not distributed, and pressure groups who thrive on English-language teaching and assessment.

The arguments put forward for the current elitist policy is based on the following assumptions.

• Employment opportunities are linked to competency and fluency in English.

• Positive attitudes towards, and high motivation to study in, English among all stakeholders, from students and teachers to policymakers and administrators.

• Fluency in English makes it easier for graduates who studied in private, English-medium schools to access white-collar jobs than for those who studied in public, Kannada-medium schools.

No doubt, these reasons sound valid and are largely true, too. Research on ‘medium of instruction’ in education, however, informs us that these assumptions are highly contestable and do not justify the importance and spread of English. The display of positive attitudes and high motivation among rural students to study in English is mainly due to instrumental reasons, such as access to higher education and employment. As for learning English as an international language, it is useful and serves as a link language globally. Keeping in view the speedy technological advances and other instrumental reasons, I agree with the argument ‘why throw the baby out with the bath water’.

There is no reason, however, to offer it as a ‘medium of instruction’ when competency in English, offered as a subject, from grade one can achieve this objective provided there are updated programmes and trained bilingual teachers. Another successful instruction method adopted in countries like Canada, and some states like California in the US, is ‘dual immersion’ bilingual programme. In this programme, literature, humanities, social science and history are taught in the child’s first language and science and math subjects in English.

Research findings in ‘bilingual education’ suggest that the acquisition of ‘language behaviour’ skills — critical thinking, clarity of expression, both written and spoken, narrating events/stories logically, among others — is more important than the language in which these skills are acquired. Research also reveals that students develop positive attitudes towards regional languages when taught in both languages. Research also informs us that there is a close nexus between language in education and language in employment.

A critical problem in India in general and in Karnataka in particular is acute unemployment among graduates. There is a huge gap between the demand and supply of jobs in the country. Unfortunately, no political party, either at the state or at the federal level, is serious about the problem that is eating away the hopes and aspirations of the millennial generation.

The spread of English as an international language has led to the belief that the employment sector would require English in formal and informal communication. English is widely considered as the lingua franca of the workplace in the majority of public and private institutes and organisations. Applicants for white-collar jobs, in particular, are required to be fluent in English for recruitment and upward mobility.

To end this dichotomy and polarisation, I strongly recommend that bilingual education be matched by bilingual employment. Legislation should be passed to make all public and private sector employment institutions and organisations bilingual. Applicants for all types of jobs at various levels, including senior management, would be provided a choice to take their entrance tests and interviews in either their primary language or in English. Employers should also be competent in the local language and English.

(The writer teaches at California State University, Fresno, California)