Three-language formula in govt-aided schools -Pros and Cons
After the release of the New Education Policy 2020, the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu protested against the policy accusing it of imposing Hindi and Sanskrit.
- In 1964, under the chairmanship of Prof. D.S. Kothari, the Union Government formed the Education Commission to study the 'full educational setup and recommend improvements.'
- The study covered all aspects of education: priorities, goals, structure, syllabus, methods of teaching, pay structure, language in education, research, class power, etc.
- The then Education Minister of the Union, praised the study as the 'Magna Carta of Teachers.'
- The Commission has recommended the 'Three Language Formula' as a way of social and national integration to resolve the problem of language in education.
- The Central Advisory Board of Education had already recommended a different 'Three Language Formula' in 1956 and a simplified version of the same was recommended by the Conference of Chief Ministers in 1961.
- The National Education Policy (1964) that followed the Kothari Commission Report made the 'Three Language Formula' a policy.
- All learners would then study from Class I-IV in the mother tongue. The student would study two languages in Class V-VIII, a regional language and English / Hindi depending on the region.
- The non-Hindi States would make Hindi compulsory, and a Southern language was supposed to be provided by the Hindi States.
- However, the implementation of these recommendations was not standardised across the country.
'THREE LANGUAGES FORMULA'
The 'three-language formula' in India has its origins back in the year 1961.
The formula means that students inHindi-speaking states should learn a modern Indian language, apart from Hindi and English and, in non-Hindi-speaking states students should learn Hindi along with the regional language and English.
o First language: The First Language that students should study is the ‘Mother tongue’ or the regional language.
o Second language: In Hindi-speaking states, the second-language would be English or some other language belonging to Modern India. In Non- Hindi states, the second language will be English or Hindi.
o Third language: In Hindi-speaking states, the third language would be English or some other language belonging to Modern India, but the one that is not chosen as the second language. In Non- Hindi states, the third language will be English or some other language belonging to Modern India, but the one which is not chosen as the second language.
Hindi imposition
- The Dr.K.Kasturirangan Committee Draft Report of 2019 made a subtle change in the ‘Three Language Formula.’
- It made Hindi mandatory in non- Hindi speaking States. (Later the Hindi mandatory rule was withdrawn after Southern States raised objection).
- The Draft Report removed the necessity to study a Southern language for the Hindi speaking States.
- Instead, it inserted the term ‘modern Indian language.’ Modern Indian Languages are the ones listed under the VIII Schedule of the Constitution of India.
- Thus a student in a Hindi speaking area could study Hindi as First language, Second language and English.
How Constitution of India deals with language?
- Currently, the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution contains 22 official languages- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.
- Article 346 of the Indian Constitution recognizes ‘Hindi’ in ‘Devanagari’ script as the official language of Union government India.
- However, the Constitution did not declare Hindi as the National language, it rather accorded Hindi the status of ‘official language’ along with English.
Article 350A:
- Article 350A of the Constitution deals with the facilities for instruction in mother tongue at the primary stage.
- It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the ‘mother-tongue’ at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups; and the President may issue such directions to any State as he considers necessary or proper for securing the provision of such facilities.
Article 351:
• Article 351 provides a directive for development of the Hindi language. • It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or desirable, for its vocabulary, primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages.
Advantages of three-language formula
1. Demographics
The recent reports suggest that more than 150 million children would become young-adults within a decade and a half from today. If the right ingredients of education do not get ingrained during foundation years, their transition into youth and adulthood may not drive the change that the country needs.
A major need, therefore, is to educate them in a language that they understand in the early years of their life and not force down an alien language that may be out of their comfort zone.
2. Better acceptability for government schoolchildren
70% of the school-going children attend government schools and these schools are most prevalent and cater to the rural and areas.
The pressure of learning in foreign languages can lead to disinterest among young children as that is beyond their comfort zone resulting in higher dropouts and lower enrolments.
Switching to the mode of teaching in the local language and dialect will ensure an instant connection between the teacher and child, teacher, and parent, and eventually the interest to attend schools goes up.
3. Stronger reinforcement of foundation literacy and numeracy
It is a known fact that apart from cognitive, fine motor, and socio-emotional development, early education also helps to ensure adequate numeracy and literacy skills. It is said that a child has more synaptic connections than an adult and thus absorbs content faster and better.
This advantage can be used to develop fundamental abilities such as counting, reading, writing, and others. Home language is the most comforting way of enabling this.
Skipping this part might result in a 6th Grade student unable to read or comprehend a subject that is meant for the 3rd Grade.
Possible challenges in implementation of three-language formula
1. The Chinese Whisper Syndrome
This refers to the age-old challenge of a statement being misconstrued totally when it is passed on from one person to another. It happens because of a half-baked understanding of that statement; in this case, the policy clause itself.
Currently, the interpretations are ranging from closure of English Medium to compulsory implementation of vernacular language to teaching only in the national language to, etc.
2. Respect a part of the status quo
This three-language formula mustn't be interpreted as the destruction of English as a language for teaching. Neither should it be viewed as a forced push or bias of any particular Indian language.
The objective of the policy is to ensure early absorption through the native language, allow learning of a foreign language, or both.
The fact that the local language helps us stay rooted in our culture and English helps us stay engaged with the world as the common business language should always be respected.
3. Capacity building and training
Acceptance of the multi-language teaching techniques can work only if teachers are proficient in these languages. If a government school in a corner of Assam intends to have its students learn in one particular dialect of the Assamese, the teacher also needs to have command of the language and the subject.
Implementation of this clause will thus need to be better thought through.
Due to the existing federal structure and diversity in language, it is important that no one local or regional language be given the importance or supremacy over the other.
The new education policy’s three-language formula gives a ray of hope to improve our education system by removing social disparity, ensure emotional connect to education at an early age and eventually give equal opportunity to the children all the states to be unified through the power of knowledge and literacy.
Why does Tamil Nadu oppose it?
- Tamil Nadu felt that the ‘Three Language Formula’ was a ploy to introduce Hindi into Non-Hindi States and resisted the implementation.
- Tamil Nadu adopted a two-language formula — Tamil and English. Hindi speaking States did not adopt a South Indian language.
- They too went for a two-language formula. Hindi speaking States don’t have a need for a South Indian language same as the Southern States do not have a need for Hindi.
Today, for diversity to continue in all fields, India needs the acknowledgment of 'multilingualism.' For Ex. Regional language and English in the South, regional language and English in the Hindi belt, regional language and English in the North East must be based on efficient language teaching / learning. It is a handicap to know only one language. It's time to pay attention to increasing the standard of students ' language proficiency.
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