The TIMES OF INDIA "TOI" Editorial

[hunky-dory]

plss tell me whether it wud be gud enough to start a TOI thread???/


plss pour in ur suggestions!!!!

[aravindva]

I guess editorials of "The Hindu" and "Economic Times" should suffice..
let's take others views also...

[abhi39]

I think editorial of either TOI or Hindu will be sufficient....
I have never read the Economic Times editorial....

[medulla]

Hi people...

Can we start discussion on TOI (Times of India) editorial? I do not get Hindu at any of the newspaper agent in my house. I am really looking forward for positive response from you.

[medulla]

Passage to English

Here's something for critics of globalisation to chew on. Enrolment in English-medium schools in India has gone up sharply in just two years, from 4.3 per cent of total enrolment in 2003-04 to 6.3 per cent in 2005-06.

The surge in English enrolment propels it to third place after Hindi and Marathi, in terms of total number of Indian children being instructed in that language.

This shows that despite what parochially-minded politicians would have us believe about the allegedly elitist trappings of English language teaching, there's actually a grass-roots movement favouring it.

Increasing enrolment in English language schools in India is in line with international trends, where English is establishing itself as the language of global commerce.

The world's top business schools and universities, for example, are increasingly moving towards adopting English as the language of instruction.

According to premier linguistic expert David Crystal there is no historical precedent for today's situation, where there's a language that's spoken in every country of the world: English.

Within India states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are leading the surge towards English, with the number of students enrolled in English-medium schools actually doubling within two years in AP. There has been no comparable increase in Hindi-speaking states like UP, Bihar and MP.

That's not because people living in the southern states are less proud of their culture than those in the Hindi heartland.

That's caused, rather, by the wide availability of globalisation-driven jobs, such as in the IT or BPO sectors, in the southern states.

Since candidates knowing English are at an advantage when applying for those jobs, it's natural that there should be a demand for English in schools.

The economic figures for states such as UP or Bihar suggest, on the other hand, that they are missing out on a lot of job opportunities.

Rapidly rising enrolment in English-medium schools, despite official discouragement, suggests that more room ought to be made for English in school curricula.

Apart from being a link language to the world, English is also an indispensable link language between Indian states. Studies have shown that know-ledge of English can break down caste and gender inequalities while allowing the hitherto underprivileged to break into white- collar professions.

It's the highway not just to jobs but political modernity as well. In Maharashtra, NCP ministers have been urging the reservation of 80 per cent jobs for locals.

That's not only unconstitutional, it shows the harm that can be done by the forces of cultural chauvinism. English, which breaks down barriers between states, can act as an effective antidote.

So what all of you think?

Will it really work as antidote? Or is there a possibility that we will eventually forget our mother tongue? Many students who learn in English medium cannot read or right their native language like oriya, Devnagari eyc though they can still speak it. India has many cultures, with different languages and traditions. That is an important and special part of India. Will these distinct cultures dilute eventually?

Get on it people...

[nadkhula]

hey medulla these days all Good English dailies are having there e-paper available, so u dont have to grab a physical copy to read edits, I am sure abt TOI, ET, HT hindu i am not sure , but they will also have.
As far as discussion is concerned we can surely go ahead..

[td31]

Originally Posted by medulla

Passage to English


So what all of you think?

Will it really work as antidote? Or is there a possibility that we will eventually forget our mother tongue? Many students who learn in English medium cannot read or right their native language like oriya, Devnagari eyc though they can still speak it. India has many cultures, with different languages and traditions. That is an important and special part of India. Will these distinct cultures dilute eventually?

Get on it people...

Hi All,
My views on the article posted above

I think India will definitely benefit in the long run if more children start taking admission in English medium schools..
I claim this on 2 counts.i.e. India has China as its main competitor in Asia and one huge advantage India has over China is that it has a HUGE young and English speaking population
Also, it has been observed that students from vernacular medium may be slow learners compared to the English counterparts [I am not generalising here, just citing a few examples]

However, i also believe that the medium of instruction itself wont work as an antidote.. It will be a culmination of variety of things which will work as an antidote..
For Eg...Imparting QUALITY education in the rural areas
Improving standards of Municipal schools
Improving Literacy rate overall [Creating awareness in rural areas]
Also, it has been observed that Boards like ICSE , CBSE tend to have an all round curriculum which helps in the development of students, so i believe state boards should take some steps to improve the curriculum too


Also, I dont believe that studying in an english school will make us forget our mother tongue..In fact, in the south, regionalism is still rampant and they woudnt even speak in Hindi!
And social factors like family play an important role in making us learn the native tongue , so studying in an english school should not really affect that

Coming to the last point regarding dilution of cultures, as we move towards globalisation, Cultures may actually dilute a bit , but this effect is generally observed only in Urban areas and most of India`s population resides in Rural areas...!

[medulla]

hey...
can you send me the link. I can find e-paper of Hindu but cannot locate editorial...
Thanks

Originally Posted by nadkhula

hey medulla these days all Good English dailies are having there e-paper available, so u dont have to grab a physical copy to read edits, I am sure abt TOI, ET, HT hindu i am not sure , but they will also have.
As far as discussion is concerned we can surely go ahead..

[medulla]

Hi td31,

I agree with you when you say our educational system has to be improved. Rural areas should get more facilities,books and quality education. And family plays an important role in keeping culture alive. But as education improves over the period of say 50 years from now, in the long run, there would be hardly any rural area where people cannot speak English. And with more and more people working in the family who will take care of teaching native language to children?

If you see the vernacular medium schools, English starts from 5th std on an average. Is it a good idea to keep vernacular medium schools alive but start English from early age? So that children know the literature and art of native language and also English to face global challenges?

It is culture what makes India unique.We agree cultures will dilute a bit. Then what can be the measures to minimize it?

Originally Posted by td31

Hi All,
My views on the article posted above

I think India will definitely benefit in the long run if more children start taking admission in English medium schools..
I claim this on 2 counts.i.e. India has China as its main competitor in Asia and one huge advantage India has over China is that it has a HUGE young and English speaking population
Also, it has been observed that students from vernacular medium may be slow learners compared to the English counterparts [I am not generalising here, just citing a few examples]

However, i also believe that the medium of instruction itself wont work as an antidote.. It will be a culmination of variety of things which will work as an antidote..
For Eg...Imparting QUALITY education in the rural areas
Improving standards of Municipal schools
Improving Literacy rate overall [Creating awareness in rural areas]
Also, it has been observed that Boards like ICSE , CBSE tend to have an all round curriculum which helps in the development of students, so i believe state boards should take some steps to improve the curriculum too


Also, I dont believe that studying in an english school will make us forget our mother tongue..In fact, in the south, regionalism is still rampant and they woudnt even speak in Hindi!
And social factors like family play an important role in making us learn the native tongue , so studying in an english school should not really affect that

Coming to the last point regarding dilution of cultures, as we move towards globalisation, Cultures may actually dilute a bit , but this effect is generally observed only in Urban areas and most of India`s population resides in Rural areas...!

[td31]

Originally Posted by medulla

Hi td31,

I agree with you when you say our educational system has to be improved. Rural areas should get more facilities,books and quality education. And family plays an important role in keeping culture alive. But as education improves over the period of say 50 years from now, in the long run, there would be hardly any rural area where people cannot speak English. And with more and more people working in the family who will take care of teaching native language to children?

If you see the vernacular medium schools, English starts from 5th std on an average. Is it a good idea to keep vernacular medium schools alive but start English from early age? So that children know the literature and art of native language and also English to face global challenges?

It is culture what makes India unique.We agree cultures will dilute a bit. Then what can be the measures to minimize it?

I agree to a certain extent to the point which you are making
The solution as you said makes sense

We can keep vernacular medium schools, english should be started from an early age..
Also, Native languages should be emphasized and not taken lightly
The whole motto of keeping a Vernacular school is that a certain section of society believes that if a kid is taught in his/her mother tongue, he/she will learn fast..
And even today , the number of students in Hindi/ marathi Schools is much more than those in English schools, so India will definitely be having Vernac schools even in future..