Dr Sudipta discusses India’s education, from ancient Sanskrit to post-colonial English, revealing a multifaceted evolution affecting language and culture, exclusively for Different Truths.
Let’s focus on the educational system of India before we move on to analyse the global educational system. The educational system in the sixteenth century of our country was completely different from the current scenario. Even the entire world was different from the setup where we are now struggling with the strange pressure from the unknown forces. The regional language was given importance in the ancient era. Back in the sixteenth century, the imperial powers spread beyond the periphery of Europe. The rise of the British Empire radically changed the preference for languages in their colonies.
India was, unfortunately, a victim of cultural hegemony where the local dialect was affected by the spread of the English language. Like India, several colonies were forced to adapt the alien languages for cultural and social transformation. After the completion of World War II, a cold war began between the powerful nations and the Commonwealth nations. English became the medium of instruction. This language held a superior position among the countries of the world by becoming the voice of elites. For the sake of globalisation and socioeconomic developments, the English language became the lingua franca of the globe.
After the end of the British empire in almost all the colonies of the world, English was still the most promising language in their colonies. As a result, the English-medium schools of those countries became more predominant than the traditional schools. It began from the primary level to the higher level. The degree courses in the various colleges chose English as a medium of instruction rather than their local languages. Our country, India, is the brightest example of such transformation.
The heritage of India was culturally rich, and we, the Indians, were considered the masters of the entire world. The indigenous language of India was the center of attraction among the other countries of the world. Students from different countries flocked to our country for the ancient scriptures and great books that made us unique around the world. India witnessed all the legendary Sanskrit works by the great sages. The Vedas consisted of 1028 hymns.
Other than the Vedas, our ancient Indian literature was abundant with other magnificent creations like the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Purva Mimansha Sutras. These works are written from 1500 to 500 BCE. It is now clear that our country set an exemplary benchmark and became a pioneer in spreading its rich literary heritage among the other countries of the world.
As soon as the British empire spread its reign over the entire India, they tried to establish the superiority of their language over our traditional languages. Before the arrival of the Britishers, learning took place in the temples, madarsas, and Gurukuls of India. Many visionaries like Dayanand Saraswati and Mahatma Gandhi realised the real propaganda of the Britishers. Through the introduction of different acts, they tried to bring changes to the educational system of our country. They began to transform the Savages of India into aristocrats.
The Charter Act of 1830 signified the coexistence of Western education along with Indian languages. Then Thomas Macaulay’s ‘Minute on Indian Education’ came with the real agenda of the Britishers for our countrymen. They tried to ‘refine the vernacular dialect ‘of our country. Above all, the Britishers aimed to bring a class of Indian people who would develop a deep interest in the English language, and in the future, they would be the connectors between the rulers and the natives. As a result, English became the official language of India by replacing the Persian language from the courts of India.
In 1854, Wood’s Despatch brought many changes in instilling English as a prime language in higher studies. Various universities were founded in the major cities of India to promote the essence of the English language. The Hunter Commission also recommended the widespread use of English education at the primary level. In the early twentieth century, English education spread in India through different degree colleges and universities. English became the medium of instruction in those organisations.
After independence, India witnessed the mushrooming of English-medium schools and colleges, which largely affected our socio-cultural diversity. The lack of competent native speakers in the teaching fields of India damaged the quality of English learning. The predominance of English education over the mother tongue of students resulted in the extinction of indigenous languages. The vernacular languages were seriously affected. The English language, which was the privilege of the elite class, brought an inequality between urban and rural India. The lack of proper teachers in rural areas hampered the quality of education. There is also a fear of losing access to the local language.
Due to English-medium instructions in schools, a superiority of this language develops over the local language, resulting in a degradation of moral values. Sometimes, such a type of inequality gives birth to hatred between two races, one of which is highly qualified in the Western language, and the other student is educated in local colleges in their native language. So now we have landed in a situation where we face discrimination and hatred because of language issues.
Due to the supremacy of the English language over our vernacular languages, we struggle with the challenges on a global level to meet an unreasonable end already set by a few dominant groups. English medium education creates a barrier between the indigenous groups of people instead of unifying them.
So nowadays Asian countries like India and China have made remarkable strides in uniting and strengthening the mother tongue of students by solidifying the regional language of their states.
English has become a global language. We need to develop a deep understanding of the language in the current scenario, but not at the cost of forgetting the essence of our vernacular languages. Hence, the rich cultural heritage of a country depends upon the constructive revival of the local languages. The government of the country should restore the legacy of the homeland and initiate various policies to secure the future of indigenous languages.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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