I used to favour making regional languages compulsory in public schools. Then something changed. I now believe there is no rationale in imposing the regional language on everyone and making the learning of it compulsory.
India is not just a country derived in part from colonial British administration. It is an idea of freedom, egalitarianism, respect and redemption from the slavery mindset. For instance, Jawaharlal Nehru, once made a statement that is under-appreciated: “Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes”. In his book The Discovery of India, he carefully navigated the history of India’s development and how the vision for India is grander than the allegations that the British invented India. Yet, with regionalist movements simmering on the horizon, India had to enact a radical policy through the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. Indian polity had finally succumbed to regionalist aspirations and through the act, state borders were drawn on the basis of language.
The rationale of language divisions and the 1956 States Reorganisation Act has in some sense been rejected in our times. Creation of new states like Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, are examples that can speak of new borders getting carved on the basis of decentralisation and seeking improvements in administration. Not on language grounds, anymore. It’s now important that states also lose the regional language compulsion imposed on school children. The top-down approach of the “three-language formula” taken by National Education Policies since 1968 takes away choice from children and their parents to choose the languages they want to learn.
According to the 2011 Census, out of the four crore migrants in the country, Tamil Nadu has the third highest migrant populations at 34 lakh persons, after Maharashtra at 79 lakh and Andhra Pradesh at 37 lakh persons. 2.6% of the state’s population at 18 lakh persons were born outside Tamil Nadu borders. News reports have also brought attention to how any information on children of migrant workers and how many are being educated is missing. Their parents are apprehensive about sending them to schools because of the fear of bullying and the lack of choices in receiving education in a language they can understand. It was recently found how children of Assamese migrants working in Areca nut farms, are choosing to not go to school.
In addition to addressing the fear-mongering taking place among the Tamil population about migrants, the government of Tamil Nadu should work to make English-language learning better.
According to the 2022 ASER Report, only 24.5% of children in class 5 in Tamil Nadu’s rural areas can read English, less than the high of 37.2% achieved in 2016 previously. Instead of making Tamil compulsory in schools, why not push for more recruitment of teachers teaching English and improve infrastructure? Those who are interested in preserving their culture can learn and continue higher education in Tamil. With critical industries like textiles planning to move out of Tamil Nadu and the state economy being more and more dependent on migration than ever before, it is essential to foster a positive and welcoming culture for them. Instead of forcing them to learn Tamil, the government can create an environment that fosters competition and enables migrant access to the local job market and state schemes.
It’s important that we adapt the teachings of social reformers like Periyar Ramasamy to our times. Periyar’s Self-Respect Movement spread throughout Tamil Nadu bringing demands for equality and anti-casteism to the forefront. Maharashtra too can take inspiration from the actions taken by Maratha ruler Shivaji, who hailed from a lower social stratum, and strove for relative decentralisation, merit, and efficiency in his administration. If Tamil Nadu is to redeem Periyar’’s dreams, and Maharashtra wishes to pursue its past glories greatness, the compulsory character of their respective regional languages at the educational level must be removed.
Post Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this essay are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CCS.
