On Indian English Day, we must look at strengthening English medium in govt schools

While the world is adopting English as a school level teaching language, the Indian ruling class is setting the clock back to pre-English education days with a design. Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in India, the theory that English is a colonial language has become more pronounced. But linking the English language to colonialism is a major mistake. As we mark Indian English Day, we must acknowledge that the language plays a big role in the power that upper caste, globalised Indians hold – that they want to methodically deny to Shudra, Dalit, and Adivasi children who depend on government schooling. 

After the alliance of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena, and BJP came to power in Andhra Pradesh in the 2024 elections, there has been a push back to the first ever major experiment to English medium education in government schools in India that the previous government under Jagan Mohan Reddy had brought in. Already, the new government has withdrawn the CBSE syllabus that was made compulsory in all government schools along with private schools. The financial assistance of Rs 15,000 per year given to mothers of school going children – called Amma Vodi – has been silently stopped. 

The private-political nexus

It's important to understand that the three parties that came to power in alliance are against introducing English medium in government schools because they strongly support the private sector English medium education. 

Look at the Cabinet of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu – he has made the private sector educational tycoon Narayana, who owns the Narayana chain of private English medium schools and colleges, a minister once again. This is a clear signal that he will go all out to dismantle the government sector English medium education and revert back to Telugu medium in all schools.
The National Democratic Alliance regime at Delhi is also clear about not allowing English medium education in government schools. All the major leaders of NDA including Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Nitish Kumar, and Chandrababu Naidu are on the same page. Nitish Kumar does not even want any party leader or official to speak in English when he is present in meetings.

There is an attempt to force even the Supreme Court and High Courts to use regional languages even though Article 348(1)(a) of the Constitution of India states that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court, shall be in the English language only.   

The Congress in Andhra Pradesh and at the national level is silent about this kind of an education policy. This only shows that even in the future, government school educated youth have no scope to compete with the private English medium educated youth, reservation or no reservation. Since the most talked about Andhra model is being nullified, the hope that it created will get dashed. The Indian Communist parties and groups have also become a stumbling block to expansion of English medium education in government schools.

Who is afraid of Indian English?

English education started in 1817 in India. This is the 207th year of that language’s birth in India. October 5 is Indian English day. Every year, every language day celebration takes place in India. But those who learnt English as a global and Indian language of opportunities and benefited from it do not celebrate English as a language. Though they use it as a language of power, wealth, and global mobility, they keep condemning it as a colonial language from public platforms.

The notion of public and private remain opposite to each other in this sphere quite consciously. The people who have benefited most from the English language are the upper castes, particularly Brahmins, Banias, Kayasthas, Khatris. 

The historical Indian ruling caste Ksatriyas have only recently realised the power of this language and are educating their children in the English medium. Look at the Dwija empowerment with this language and their spread in the global economy.

Upper caste global players and English

Kamala Harris, a Black and Indian origin Brahmin woman is likely to become the first female president of America in its 245 years of constitutional democratic existence. No White woman has been able to become the President or Vice-President in that country so far. Kamala Harris has already become the first woman Vice-President of America. 

Could this have become possible without English as a global language – more so if it had not come to India during colonial times? Would her mother Shyamala Gopalan, a girl born and brought up in a Tamil Brahmin conservative family, have gone to America and made her life there, and educated her two daughters Kamala and Maya to become what they have? Can we imagine a woman from an ordinary, middle class, single-mother family like Kamala becoming a lawyer of her stature, becoming the Vice-President of the most powerful country in the world, and getting a chance to challenge the richest white American – Donald Trump –  in the presidential race, without English as a language with her?

Can we imagine Rishi Sunak, from a Khatri family from western India, becoming the Prime Minister of Britain – a country that ruled India for more than two hundred years – without the English language in India to educate his parents? 

English had changed the cultural environment in the homes of upper castes by the time India achieved Independence. But the very same people, who benefitted in multiple ways by using that language's reach and power, do not want the children of farmers and labourers to learn that language. Is this not a paradox?

English and Europe now

The European Union this year declared that hereafter, English will be its official language instead of German. Most countries in the world are shifting to English medium school education along with their native language. France, Japan, China and the two Korean nations have started teaching English in their schools right from the beginning, even though these countries operate with one national language. India has several regional languages that disconnect people from region to region. 

Nationalism getting linked to language has started receding in the globalised world. All non-British nations were very language sentimental in the post World War II context. But they realised that English is essential for every European country’s economic development. Even the former French and Spanish colonies are slowly shifting to teaching English in their schools. It's not as if the globalised English educated upper castes do not know this aspect of change.

The Indian nation is fragmented into several small language speaking nationalities with a sentimentalised mother tongue theory. And because of this, the Shudras, Dalits, and Adivasis are stuck in a small language world of their own. This kind of linguistic confinement does not allow them to grow into a proper citizenship role.

The experiment like the one started in Andhra Pradesh should not be allowed to die with a design of diabolical political forces.

Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd is a political theorist, social activist, and author. His latest book is The Clash of Cultures—Productive Masses Vs Hindutva-Mullah Conflicting Ethics.

Views expressed are the author’s own.