Of a ‘Shubh Sitambar’…

September was a ‘shubh’ month, personally, both in terms of commencement and renewal. Billabong High International School, (BHIS) Santacruz remains among the Kangaroo Kids Education Ltd. schools I have been associated with, perhaps, since its inception.  So, when I was recently entrusted with its reins, it was a resumption of what I have always loved to do, especially within the Kangaroo Kids ethos of making learning fun across grades and not just in the kindergarten.

There is little that can match the enthusiasm, freshness and brilliance that young minds infuse into projects, especially when channelled precisely.  Therefore this month’s celebration of Hindi Diwas was a double celebration for me. At one end, it meant watching my young tots at Kangaroo Kids Kandivali, delighted to discover and explore Hindi, its words and ‘akshars’ and on the other hand , also experience the fluency, knowledge and attachment one forms with a language as exemplarily demonstrated by students from Grade I to Grade IX of BHIS Santacruz.

As the school principal, I had the privilege of meeting with the chief guest of honour, Mr. Nalin Saraf, a writer and novelist who has written many biographies in Hindi. The recent ones being ‘sajan re jhooth mat bolo’ and ‘suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen’ on lyricist Shailendra Kesarilal. The cultural programme which commenced post lunch saw children across grades participating eagerly. Students from Grade 1 and 2 shared their Hindi poems while grade 3 put up a funny skit; grade 4 participated in a crossword puzzle and so on! Mr. Saraf, was enthralled with the participation and shared some great advice which I believe every educationist and parent must heed to. Every child should be introduced to the mother tongue, the local language (which could be the mother tongue), the national language and English at an early age.

I believe proficiency in any language could be attributed to the exposure of the language early on. Kangaroo Kids preschools are among the very few preschools that introduces Hindi to children right since nursery and the success of the model is proof enough of language education being integrated within the curriculum!  Studies have proved that pre-schoolers can grasp up to 21 languages! And language education is critical not just for language proficiency or literature, but also for critical thinking, emotional intelligence development, communication skills and also sharpening analytical skills! Indians are lucky that our children are exposed to at least three different languages on an average since birth.

The journey of Hindi, from the pre-Independence era, then being identified as the national language post-Independence till its current form where we hope to see Hindi recognised as an official language of the United Nations, has been long and intricate. While it is important that no language is politicised, let’s leverage the gift our national diversity offers us and ensure it remains so for generations to come. And ironically, we needn't have a ‘day’ to celebrate our national language then.. No excuses.. It should be entrenched within, for it’s a firm part of our cultural identity. While our minds continue to evolve with and shape this rapid age of globalisation, our hearts will after all be rooted and the language that connects both the mind and heart is the mother tongue!

The Sanskrit-German controversy

The recent controversy of Sanskrit ‘replacing’ German as the third language has indeed opened a can of worms with respect to the status of language education in India. While various factions have defended this move led by an almost extinct group of Sanskrit scholars many have opposed it too. As tempting as it might seem to derive that the move has been conjured through saffron-tinted glasses, it has nonetheless highlighted critical issues plaguing our education system.
  

One, that teaching of German in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools isn’t truly in-sync with the three language formula as drafted in the National Education Policy, 1968 (revised in 1986 and 2005) which has stated that the preferred medium of instruction should be the mother tongue with a progressive introduction of other languages like Hindi, English and a ‘modern’ Indian language from middle-school (grades 6 to 8). Whether Sanskrit now falls in the purview of ‘modern’ Indian language, is up for debate, but definitely German doesn’t fall into the picture.

How did we even come to pass such a massive blunder? German was introduced as a supplemental activity outside school hours in 2009. It wasn’t part of the core curriculum. It was only when it started becoming popular that in 2011, it was introduced as a third language option at the middle school level in 2011 in Kendriya Vidyalayas. Understandably, one has to question the legitimacy of introducing a language as restricted as German (spoken mainly in Germany and Austria). Why was the government sleeping for all these three years? Also, the shift from Sanskrit to German had hampered the situation with teachers of Sanskrit being forced to learn German through short tutorials and teach the students! One can only imagine the resultant quality of teaching.

It also brings us to the main issue which is the ironic failure of dispensing an effective language education in a multi-lingual nation such as ours. How can any language be taught in isolation? For a language to thrive it needs to be spoken and hence such avenues for speaking the language are critical. Naturally, the more the number of avenues to apply the language skill, the more is the hunger for getting back to it and deriving more from it.

Why must we pit one language against the other or politicise the issue? Numerous research papers have indicated that children are known to pick up to 21 languages simultaneously if exposed to it consistently since infancy.  So, clearly the issue isn’t of adding another language to the curriculum. The question isn’t as much in terms of utility too especially when it comes to languages since it is deeply entrenched within the culture of a people. Especially Sanskrit, which contains the ancient wisdom of Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads, and which has now caught the fancy of the western world.

I remember studying Sanskrit during my school years. It was hardly pleasant as is the case due to improper comprehension of the principles governing a language. The grammar in Sanskrit is extremely structured but given the basic principle of rote learning and mugging up information, it makes it even tougher. How do we inculcate a genuine love of learning for the language/subject?  The real issue has been universal across all aspects of Indian education system. The issue has always remained of dispensing quality and outcome-centric education through trained and expert faculty, guided by a well-researched and effective pedagogy. 

Each year lesser number of students are opting for Sanskrit in universities in spite of falling cut-offs. Apart from teaching there are hardly any other career opportunities for students majoring in Sanskrit. There is a gross lack of funds for students pursuing doctorates and research work. Clearly, language education and interdependence of cognitive-linguistic skills has been grossly misinterpreted and delved into. Pedagogy needs to be reinvented in its entirety. Research and study in languages also must be promoted and funded in a consistent and well thought out approach. Teacher education programmes must be tailored to cater to the current context and its challenges. The essence of language education in terms of its extension to learning across spheres must be realised.

A language needs to be well integrated into the lives of people to be duly propagated. It’s time we analyse the outcomes we are aiming for in terms of language education, define them when none exists and redefine the obsolete.