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Recently, Loreto College issued a notice regarding admission procedures. In it, it is stated that students from vernacular medium schools are not considered for admission. It goes on to suggest that they could join an institution that teaches bilingually. In saying so, the authorities naturally assume that the students from vernacular/regional medium schools will not know English. What is to be noted is that it’s not a given that students hailing from English medium schools will have a good command of the language. Not considering students only based on their prior education without testing their proficiency is outright wrong. The apology they issued later reads: “There was a reason to give out preferences to students from English-medium schools. It was observed by teachers that students who come from schools where the medium of instruction is not English face difficulty in following lectures. Hence it was a practical consideration.”
For an institution that prides itself as one that aims at imparting inclusive education, accommodating the needs of the less privileged, endorsing social justice and equity, such a move is self-humiliating. A lot of private universities also follow the same pattern, although a lot indirectly. Many of these institutions conduct entrance examinations in English and an interview exclusively in English even for Bachelor programs. It is almost impossible for a student from low socioeconomic status(SES) to enter these spaces.
In a recent move, the UGC has recommended that universities and colleges allow students to give their exams in the regional language if they choose to. This is aimed at helping students from regional mediums to transition to English medium instruction. An important reason behind the move is to improve the gross enrollment ratio in higher education from 27% to 50% by 2035. While the govt is striving to ensure accessibility to HEIs, Elite institutions like Loreto College gate-keep students from low SES and regional mediums with their admission procedure.
India continues to suffer colonialism with respect to English education. The anglicization of Indian education isn’t a new discussion. Though much has changed since independence, the servile attitude of the Indian public towards English-medium education has not. English is viewed as ‘the’ language of knowledge and therefore superior to the languages native to India.
Currently, India is in the grip of an increased obsession with English-medium education. Several states have introduced separate sections of English-medium classrooms in Government schools including well-performing states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The introduction of separate divisions for English medium instruction is largely a populist response. The parents also falsely believe that sending their child to an English medium school will ensure good learning. However, sending a child to an English medium school can be counter-productive. Tanuka Endow (2021) notes that “mediating primary-level education through an unfamiliar language poses language barriers and adversely affects the learning outcome. The agency in using English for communication is limited.” Moreover, this issue passes undetected for years.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with English Medium Instruction (EMI), it is the implementation that is concerning to teachers and experts. These schools run without adequately equipping the teachers or the school environment. There does not seem to be a good understanding of how languages are learned. There is a difference between learning a first language(s)/mother tongue(s) and learning a second or third language. While the former is learning or rather acquired in an informal home environment, the latter is consciously learned in a teaching environment. For a learner to learn a language, there has to be adequate exposure/input given in the language. This is why it is effortlessly easy to master the mother tongue(s), there is ample input at home. Learning English as a second language is difficult as it requires more exposure, something which is scarce in a country where English is nobody’s mother tongue.
Often, people tend to confuse learning English and learning through English. The teaching of English which focuses on communication is different from learning subjects through English which focuses on concepts to be taught. People tend to equate EMI to mastery of the English language and the prestige that comes with it. It is not a given that a student who has studied in an English medium school should have better English skills than one who has studied in a regional medium. Countless studies have shown the usefulness of a learner’s mother language in teaching English. Experts such as G.N. Gevy, Ajit Mohanty, Rama Kant Agnihotri and K Narayan Chandran have stressed the importance of bi/multilingual education. The NEP 2020 also advocates for the same. It’s time that we stopped privileging English-medium education and giving adequate care and support to students from regional medium schools, ensuring social justice in the process.
Jenifer Deivanayagam, PhD Scholar, Christ University, Bangalore.
Twitter: @JDeivanayagam
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.