Linguistic Diversity and Education

Linguistic Diversity and Education

Why in News?

A recent report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), titled "Languages Matter: Global Guidance on Multilingual Education," was released on the 25th anniversary of International Mother Language Day. The report emphasizes how language barriers impact global educational outcomes.

Key Highlights from the UNESCO Report on Language:

• Language Barriers in Education: Around 40% of the global population lacks access to education in a language they can understand. In low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to 90%, affecting over 250 million learners.
• Linguistic Diversity Due to Migration: Migration has led to increased linguistic diversity, with over 31 million displaced youths facing educational challenges due to language barriers.
• Colonial Legacy: Many post-colonial nations still use non-native languages as the primary medium of instruction. Local languages are often undervalued in formal education, leaving native speakers at a disadvantage.
• Immigration and Education: Immigration has created linguistically diverse classrooms, particularly in high-income countries, which face challenges in providing language acquisition support, inclusive curricula, and fair assessments.
• Policy Variations: Countries vary in their policy responses, with some promoting bilingual education while others favor quick immersion in the dominant language.
• Challenges to Multilingual Education: Despite growing awareness, issues such as limited teacher capacity, lack of resources, and community opposition hinder the implementation of multilingual education.
• Policy Recommendations: The report advocates for context-specific language policies and curriculum adjustments, including support for teacher training, multilingual resources, and inclusive learning environments. It also emphasizes fostering inclusion through strong school leadership and community collaboration.

Note:
International Mother Language Day, proposed by Bangladesh and approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference, has been observed globally on 21st February since 2000. The day honors Bangladesh’s struggle to protect its mother language, Bangla. UNESCO advocates for the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity as a means to foster sustainability, tolerance, respect, and peace.

How Has India’s Linguistic Landscape Evolved?

• Prehistoric Times: Though human habitation in India predates Sanskrit, there are no written records from prehistoric times, making it difficult to reconstruct early languages.
• Indus Valley Civilization: The Indus script (2600–1900 BCE) remains undeciphered, so it’s unclear whether it represents an early form of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, or another language family.
• The Rise of Sanskrit, Prakrits, and Tamil: Writing emerged in India 24 centuries ago, primarily through inscriptions and manuscripts.
  • Sanskrit and Prakrits: Sanskrit became the dominant language for literature and scholarship, while Prakrits, a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages, coexisted with it.
  • Tamil: Tamil evolved as an independent classical language, with the Sangam literature (3rd century BCE – 3rd century CE) marking its rich literary tradition.
• Influence of Foreign and Regional Languages:
  • Foreign Languages: Persian and Arabic influenced Indian languages during Islamic rule, leading to the creation of linguistic blends like Urdu.
  • Over the last 5,000 years, India absorbed languages from Avestan, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and Indo-Aryan families, resulting in a rich linguistic heritage.
  • Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman Growth: The Dravidian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam) and Tibeto-Burman languages from the Northeast developed with regional literature and administrative use.
• The Printing Revolution: The advent of paper and later printing led to mass production of books in regional languages, helping spread literacy.
• Post-Colonial Language Shift:
  • Colonial Impact: Under British rule, English became the language of administration, education, and economic opportunity.
  • Decline of Persian and Sanskrit: As English grew in prominence, Persian declined in administration, and Sanskrit became limited to religious and scholarly use.
  • Emergence of Modern Indian Languages: Regional languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu gained literary and political recognition.
  • Constitutional Language Policy: Languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution have a larger number of speakers, while non-listed languages are at risk of extinction. Many tribal languages, particularly from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman families, are in danger of disappearing due to demographic shifts.
  • Impact of English: Despite advances in print capitalism and digital technology, the rise of English continues to challenge Indian languages, particularly in urban areas.

Note:
The Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 both emphasize the importance of mother tongue in education. NEP 2020 advocates for using the home language or mother tongue as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, preferably until Grade 8, to promote regional languages and facilitate effective, inclusive learning through multilingual education.

Drishti Mains Question:
Evaluate the role of migration and displaced populations in shaping the linguistic landscape of India. How can education systems adapt to this growing diversity?

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs):
Q. Consider the following statements: (2021)

1. 21st February is declared as International Mother Language Day by UNICEF.
2. The demand for Bangla to be one of the national languages was raised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b)

Explanation:
The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, in its session on 23rd February, 1948, proposed that members speak only in Urdu or English. Dhirendranath Datta, a member from the East Pakistan Congress Party, moved an amendment to include Bangla as one of the languages of the Constituent Assembly. Later that year, the government of Pakistan declared Urdu as the sole national language, sparking protests by the Bengali-speaking majority in East Bengal. On 21st February 1952, students and political activists organized a protest at the University of Dhaka. After years of conflict, the government relented, granting official status to Bengali in 1956. In Bangladesh, 21st February is observed as Language Movement Day.
International Mother Language Day, observed on 21st February, was declared by UNESCO, not UNICEF, to honor the Language Movement and the ethnolinguistic rights of people worldwide. Thus, statement 2 is correct, while statement 1 is incorrect.

Q. With reference to India, the terms ‘HaIbi, Ho, and Kui’ pertain to (2021)

(a) dance forms of Northwest India
(b) musical instruments
(c) pre-historic cave paintings
(d) tribal languages

Answer: (d)

Explanation:
Odisha, home to 62 tribal communities, has a unique linguistic landscape. The state's tribal languages fall into three primary language families: Austro-Asiatic (Munda), Dravida, and Indo-Aryan. Each tribe speaks its own language. The languages HaIbi, Ho, and Kui are tribal languages spoken in Odisha, and some of them have their own scripts. Therefore, the correct answer is (d) tribal languages.

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