The last few weeks have seen nothing but the slugfest that is ongoing between the Centre and the State over the National Education Policy (NEP). Enough and more has been said on the subject and we at Madras Musings would not like to take sides on the issue. But what we would like to appeal for is that children need to be protected from the political headwinds that seem to be blowing their way.
For those who have been around in the 1960s this may seem like déjà vu. The parallels are very much there for everyone to see. A party in power at the State for long, wanting to once again win the coming elections. Another party in the Opposition that sees the NEP as an opportunity to grab power. The only difference is that this latter party is in power at the Centre right now. In the 1960s it was a conflict between a party that was in power in the Centre and State and a younger outfit that saw its opportunity. The youth played a considerable role in swaying public emotion then; most notably the teargassing of protesting college students proved a turning point. Both contenders right now may be hoping for such a flashpoint to occur, one way or the other.
Language is the core of the issue right now, as it was then. The fear of imposition of an alien tongue is real. At the same time, how are people from the State to contend with fluency in a language that is understood across a wide spectrum in the country? Will it impact mobility across borders and also employability? The Centre for its part seems to have climbed down somewhat – previous regimes insisted on Hindi while the present one gives an option for language of a neighbouring State. But the question is, do children have to bear this burden of one more language?
Learning languages is best left to the ebb and flow of market forces. If there is a demand for a certain tongue, people will learn it anyway. This is exactly how English became a language of choice in a country where languages and dialects are a dime a dozen. Likewise, Hindi anyway will be learnt by those who feel they need it for job opportunities elsewhere in India. Chennai residents too are now learning it, given that they need to communicate with the many from the North who have come here seeking employment. And this latter group is fast learning Tamil.
As for protecting a language from vanishing, it is up to the State to ensure this. It cannot be done by insisting people learn it anyway. The State needs to ensure that it has universities and research facilities that work on the language concerned, and this includes making sure it has a vocabulary that is current. What we have said above, applies to Hindi as well. The Centre needs to have a holistic approach and make sure it promotes all languages. That will take care of all such issues.
And so, let us not burden children with learning additional languages, one way or the other. They will anyway learn their mother tongue/the language of the place where they live, and English. Let us work towards making them competitive by instilling in them a love for learning and keeping alive a spirit of enquiry. They will take care of other aspects, including language, by themselves. In the short term, let us not ask for boycotts of schools and strikes by teachers to support our political aims.