The medium
of training is very essential at every level of education and more so during
the elementary education as that is the time when a kid is showing to the enormous
world of information. It is a long held discuss in India whether the medium of
education should be collectively recognized English language or the regional
language. There are pros and cons of both the options. While English is most
important when one grows up and goes into a professional life, regional
language has an benefit of being easily understood, thus helping the students grasp
the right information and understand better. Educationists around the world
have debated this issue but to no tangible result.
In India, where there is a multilingual civilization, there is not one accepted medium of instruction. Though Hindi is measured the national language but it is not spoken in many parts of India like South India and East India. There are other regional languages. Thus, many state-run schools follow the language of their region to communicate education. However, in urban India, English is the preferred medium of education for understandable reasons. Even people from inexpensively weaker backgrounds and those who do not speak English themselves prefer to send their children to English-medium schools.
The prime reason is that English is the favorite medium of higher education and is accepted worldwide. There are no good professional courses obtainable in regional languages. Thus, it is supposed those who study in regional languages tend to lag behind those who have studied in the English language. Worldwide, studies have been conducted to show which medium is better. Purists consider that language is not just a means of communication but also a cultural window which introduces one to the social and intellectual surroundings. And language improvement leads to educational development, which in turn leads to national development.
In India, where there is a multilingual civilization, there is not one accepted medium of instruction. Though Hindi is measured the national language but it is not spoken in many parts of India like South India and East India. There are other regional languages. Thus, many state-run schools follow the language of their region to communicate education. However, in urban India, English is the preferred medium of education for understandable reasons. Even people from inexpensively weaker backgrounds and those who do not speak English themselves prefer to send their children to English-medium schools.
The prime reason is that English is the favorite medium of higher education and is accepted worldwide. There are no good professional courses obtainable in regional languages. Thus, it is supposed those who study in regional languages tend to lag behind those who have studied in the English language. Worldwide, studies have been conducted to show which medium is better. Purists consider that language is not just a means of communication but also a cultural window which introduces one to the social and intellectual surroundings. And language improvement leads to educational development, which in turn leads to national development.
Till a
long time, the medium of instruction in India was the foremost regional
language from primary to the high school level. English was only introduced as
a subject after the primary level. English as a medium of education throughout
schooling was only found in a few schools but that starting changing slowly.
Soon, English was directly related to being forward-looking, contemporary and
developed. This development worked in the favor of many but gave inadequacy
complex to a lot others. People who could not speak or understand English
started feeling that they were no good. The point is highly questionable.
Acquiring knowledge, as such, doesn’t need only one particular language.
There was a study conducted in the US in Ramirez et al in 1991 with 2352 students. The study compared three sets of Spanish-speaking minority students. The first set had studied only through the English medium, the second group had started education in the Spanish medium but switched to English in one or two years, while the third group started education in the Spanish medium and switched to English after four to six years. The three groups were then tested to find out which group showed the best results in English and in educational attainment in general. Divergent to the accepted certainty, the third group showed the finest results while the other two groups were falling way behind.
This entirely quashes the accepted passion that English is the best medium of instruction. In fact, for children who do not speak English at home find it very hard to grab concepts in an unfamiliar language. Then, the pressure doubles on them as they are predictable to learn a foreign language with the concepts concurrently. On the other hand, if they receive the same learning in the language that they are comfortable in, it becomes much easier and suitable to understand the subject.
However, when it comes to higher education, English medium is a must. It is unwise to think that streams like Engineering, Medical, MBA or any technical course can be imparted in a regional language. The first problem is satisfactory and the second is vocabulary. There are not adequate terms in the regional languages that can define the usages in these fields. Also, even if one were to get this education in the regional language, he/she cannot use it efficiently as the whole world does not understand the same language and they end up becoming misfits.
There was a study conducted in the US in Ramirez et al in 1991 with 2352 students. The study compared three sets of Spanish-speaking minority students. The first set had studied only through the English medium, the second group had started education in the Spanish medium but switched to English in one or two years, while the third group started education in the Spanish medium and switched to English after four to six years. The three groups were then tested to find out which group showed the best results in English and in educational attainment in general. Divergent to the accepted certainty, the third group showed the finest results while the other two groups were falling way behind.
This entirely quashes the accepted passion that English is the best medium of instruction. In fact, for children who do not speak English at home find it very hard to grab concepts in an unfamiliar language. Then, the pressure doubles on them as they are predictable to learn a foreign language with the concepts concurrently. On the other hand, if they receive the same learning in the language that they are comfortable in, it becomes much easier and suitable to understand the subject.
However, when it comes to higher education, English medium is a must. It is unwise to think that streams like Engineering, Medical, MBA or any technical course can be imparted in a regional language. The first problem is satisfactory and the second is vocabulary. There are not adequate terms in the regional languages that can define the usages in these fields. Also, even if one were to get this education in the regional language, he/she cannot use it efficiently as the whole world does not understand the same language and they end up becoming misfits.
In India,
Tamil Nadu is the one state where some universities offer specialized courses
in Tamil medium. For instance, Madurai Kamraj University offers many courses in
the Tamil medium through distance learning programmes. It offers Postgraduate Diploma in Labor Law & Administrative Law
and Postgraduate Diploma in Information & Communication Laws in the Tamil
medium. In addition to this, Algappa University offers BA (History) and BBA in the Tamil
language. But if one does a college search or a university search to find courses
in language medium, there are not many choices which speak volumes about the bearing
of such a thing. In today's competitive world, it is sensible to get higher
education in the English language and organize a base for it from school only.
Regional language as a medium of instruction should be used only till the
primary level.
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