Introduction of Hindi in higher educational institutions: A challenge ahead

Recently, Committee of Parliament on Official Language, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, recommended introduction of Hindi in higher educational institutions such as the IITs, IIMs, IIMSs etc., in the Hindi belt and replacement of English by local regional languages or Hindi in other states. This ignited the Hindi controversy again and the move is strongly opposed by the southern states. The chief reason behind protest against the imposition of Hindi is that the south Indians speak languages of Dravidian roots that have no connection (similarities) with Hindi, in sharp contrast to other North Indian languages. The Official Language Act, 1963 categorized the states into three groups as A, B and C groups depending on the percentage of Hindi-speaking people. Group A states where Hindi is spoken by 100% people include Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the Union Territories of Delhi and the Andaman islands. In Group B states Hindi usage is up to 80% and in Group C states Hindi usage is up to 65%. In these Group A states Hindi will be compulsory in all public institutions such as the IITs, IIMs and Kendriya Vidyalayas, Central Universities, courts, and government offices . But Hindi will not be compulsory in Group B and Group C states and they may use Hindi or local languages. High Courts are excluded from the mandatory compulsion of use of Hindi in proceedings and judgments. Though political leaders very frequently refer to the writings of Gandhiji or Rabindra Nath Tagore while pushing for Hindi language, but those leaders maintain total silence on matters relating to the secular values of Gandhiji or inclusiveness of Tagore.

The admission process to the national institutions is on all-India basis and the students from all over the country flock to these institutions depending on rank, with varied knowledge levels in Hindi. If only Hindi is to be made compulsory in national institutions in Group A states then students from other states - particularly from the southern states and Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram etc., with meagre Hindi knowledge - will not be able to follow the instructions in classes. Similarly, filling up of Central quota seats in the state-run medical colleges, both in the undergraduate (15%) and postgraduate courses (50%) is done through an all-India selection process. Here, too, students with little knowledge of Hindi will face similar problems in the classrooms in different states. Even within states like Assam, students from some areas such as Karbi Anglong and the BTC do not understand Assamese fully as of now and if the medium of instruction is switched over to Assamese, they will face similar problems. By pushing Hindi and regional languages the diversity factor of students will fall and concentration of Hindi-speaking students will increase in Group A states. Segregation of students will take place depending on languages. If one looks at the seat distribution then it reflects that out of 15,031 seats in the IITs 60% are located in A group states. There are 7,752 seats in Group A states, 1,821 seats in Group B states and 5,438 seats in Group C seats. Similarly, in the NITs the break-up is as under - in Group A states there are 8,383 seats, 3,127 seats in Group B states and 1,001 seats in Group C seats. In IIMs, Group A states share 4,183 seats, Group B 1,114 seats and Group C states 3,371 seats. Naturally, students of Group A states will benefit more as Hindi is their mother tongue, and the policy will put students from other regions in a most disadvantageous situation. Students from the North will not be able to follow curricula in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam or Kannada in South India in the national and state-run colleges.

In science and technology, India is not a giant compared to countries such as Germany, Japan, China, Israel etc., which are self-reliant and teach in mother tongues. India depends on other advanced countries heavily and borrows technology. In India, textbooks are either copied or foreign writers' books are prescribed. Madhya Pradesh is the first state to start MBBS course in three subjects - Anatomy, Physiology and Bio Chemistry - after translating textbooks. The translation has retained medical terms such as blood pressure, stomach, femur and DNA etc., in English. . If textbook preparation depends on translation, it is better to use books in the original language. In translation, originality could not be maintained. Indian students aspiring for foreign placements will have to clear examinations like the United States Medical Licensing Examination in English, so is the case for engineering and science students for higher education abroad. Countries such as China and Japan have started teaching Medicine through books in English. Quality medical research articles published in The Lancet, British Medical Journal, New England Medical Journal etc., take 4-5 years to find place even in English textbooks.

The government has taken a decision to teach Mathematics and Science in English in lower classes but in Hindi or regional languages in Engineering and Medical Colleges. It is self-contradictory. In a survey by the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business with a sample size of 915 children taken from 233 schools comprising Telugu medium schools and English medium schools, it was found that Telugu medium students scored better than English medium schools. Up to secondary level vernacular language and at higher institution English be the medium as English is the only window for global knowledge transfer and a requirement for research and development.

The Global In House Center of the MNCs states that India is growing at a rate of 10% in terms of revenue and employment. Yet another agency, the Zinnov, estimates that there were 1,150 MNCs in India, employing 8,15,000 persons in 2016 and 30,000 jobs will be added this year. All these people are communicating in English with the rest of the globe. Hindi is obsolete in global business atmosphere. Knowledge in Hindi cannot provide such vast employment opportunities in global business. Poor knowledge of English will put Indian students in disadvantaged working environment in MNCs in India. Countries where mother tongues are used for technical education have also started teaching English. The Japanese government and Business Association have advocated English language teaching to bolster global economic competiveness. Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of the RAKUTEN, Japan has made English the official language of the company. In China, too, teaching of English is gaining popularity and the Chinese government patronized teaching of English after the Cultural Revolution in 1979. Fifty million secondary school children are learning English. Now students will select one language from among English, French, Japanese, German or Spanish along with Mathematics and Chinese language in the GAOKAO examination (Matriculation). But English is the most sought-after language for obvious reasons. In 2009, 98,500 Chinese students went to the USA. The Fudan University in China is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the hospitality sector, knowledge in foreign languages is a must to deal with foreign tourists, the majority of whom are from English-speaking countries. But a survey (Atal Bihari Vajpayee University Chhattisgarh) reveals that students from the Hindi belt are weak in English. Change over to Hindi - a language spoken by 43% people - is unwarranted. It is posing a new challenge ahead. One must not forget that all 22 languages are at par with Hindi in the Constitution.

Ranjan Kumar Padmapati

(The writer can be reached at rkpadmapati@yahoo.co.in)