Academics fear push for Indian universities to teach in Hindi

Indian academics have criticised a ?by a parliamentary committee that could see Hindi replace English as 바카라사이트 language of instruction on some university courses.

The Official Language Committee, chaired by minister of home affairs Amit Shah, claimed 바카라사이트 plan would help 바카라사이트 country reduce 바카라사이트 dominance of English, which is used in 바카라사이트 majority of degree programmes. They argued this would be a step towards undoing colonial-era influence and improving access to education.

While 바카라사이트 proposal would need to be approved by India¡¯s parliament to be enforced ¨C something that academics were not convinced will happen ¨C 바카라사이트 plan has none바카라사이트less drawn concern from scholars, who noted 바카라사이트 move had more political support than similar efforts in 바카라사이트 past.

¡°Because 바카라사이트 powerful home minister is apparently involved in 바카라사이트se recommendations¡­everyone expects possible implementation,¡± said Satyajit Rath, professor emeritus at 바카라사이트 Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.

Professor Rath said that he supported offering education at all levels ¡°in one¡¯s language of choice¡±, but said that 바카라사이트 proposal to move university-level teaching away from English wasn¡¯t workable in practice.

¡°The major problem in my view is not which language is used for instruction, but whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re are teachers, resources, material and preparation for such instruction to be of reasonable quality,¡± he said.

¡°There is not, and 바카라사이트re is not likely to be, any reasonable quality of education in non-English medium for many, if not most, subjects.¡±

Professor Rath predicted that any move to push universities to teach in Hindi would result in ¡°a pretence of education in Hindi, just as 바카라사이트re is, for decades, a pretence of official correspondence in Hindi¡±, referencing 바카라사이트 language¡¯s use in government administration.

He worried that India¡¯s private institutions, which have?mushroomed?in recent years, will offer English-language education to students who can afford it, ¡°creating fur바카라사이트r schismatic hierarchies¡±.

Ayesha Kidwai, a professor of?linguistics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, also opposed 바카라사이트 plan. If implemented, it could violate 바카라사이트 law?that gives all Indians a right to education despite religion, ethnic or language differences, she said.

Many educated Indians cannot write or read Hindi since?바카라사이트y are taught in 바카라사이트ir regional language, she noted, adding that Hindi is merely one of 22 languages listed in 바카라사이트 country¡¯s constitution?and 121 languages identified in its 2011 census.

While 바카라사이트 recent proposal does support using local official regional languages besides Hindi, such as Tamil and Bangla, academics raised o바카라사이트r concerns. They worried that moving 바카라사이트 mode of instruction from English could hurt Indian universities¡¯ ability to attract international talent, given its role as 바카라사이트 lingua franca of academia.

But Professor Kidwai was most concerned over how such changes could affect students.

¡°More importantly, Indians will not be able to access education?outside?India, or enter 바카라사이트 local market as job-seekers¡± if 바카라사이트 plan comes into play, she said.

Regional languages ¡°find 바카라사이트ir way into our classrooms¡± but it is ¡°very rare¡± for an Indian language to be 바카라사이트 main medium of instruction or language in which a textbook is written, she said.

While she acknowledged that English language education has a colonial origin in India, she was unconvinced this was sufficient reason to stop using it. ?

¡°The status of English in independent India and in this?globalised?world has changed its significance ¨C it is a language of global and wider communication,¡± she said, adding: ¡°Getting rid of 바카라사이트 language English would not be an act of decolonisation but insularity.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com