Teach English from Class I to bridge divide: Knowledge panel to Govt

The National Knowledge Commission has written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, that English should be made compulsory across the country from Class I.

The National Knowledge Commission has written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, that English should be made compulsory across the country from Class I.

In a three-page letter, the Commission has said that English should be taught from Class I 8220;along with the first language either the mother tongue or the regional language of the child.8221;

The letter written by Commission Chairman, Sam Pitroda, says there is an 8220;irony in the situation8221; as despite being taught for over a century, English is 8220;beyond the reach of most of our young people, which makes for highly unequal access.8221;

The Commission terms the 8220;understanding of, and a command over, the English language the most important determinant of access to higher education, employment possibilities and social opportunities.8221; It says that 8220;available information suggests that middle-income or lower-income households spend a large proportion of their modest income on sending their children to relatively expensive English-medium schools.8221; It may be possible to turn the 8220;exclusion8221; faced by those handicapped by the lack of inadequate training in English into inclusion 8220;through public provision8221; of English Class I onwards, the letter adds.

Coming down hard on the fact that English if kept restricted to only those who are privileged would continue to be one of the greatest dividers in modern India, the Commission says: 8220;We are recommending a fundamental change that seeks to introduce, nationwide, the teaching of English as a language starting Class I. This is not meant to be a stand-alone, add-on subject. It is meant to be integrated into the school curriculum.8221;

In several states such as West Bengal in the past, UP, Bihar and Tamil Nadu even today, and most recently Karnataka, the non-teaching of English in primary school has been tom-tommed as part of the political package of new-found regionalism.

But in a rapidly globalising world, with English serving as a glass ceiling as far as jobs and opportunities go, the fact of its utility is not lost on those in the job market. One crucial comparative advantage enjoyed by India as opposed to even China has been the relatively widespread presence of English-speakers.

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However, its role as a tool for empowerment is met with silence from the political class in India and little is done to encourage proficiency in English through the government school system.

At present, notes the Commission, only nine states six, in the North-east and three Union Territories have introduced English as a compulsory subject from Class I.