Aug 06 2014 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
Do not Put English Farther out of Reach
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) may not be the French Foreign Legion, but it still requires its members to be equipped with specific skills. Being proficient in English happens to be one of them. English is a link language that connects not every Indian, but every opinion-making, decisiontaking Indian. To disregard this, is to disregard reality . The civil servant, well versed as he may -and should -be in any other Indian language, must be proficient in this language, rather than be able to simply comprehend it, particularly in these globalising times.For the government to make concessions to the populist demand to scrap the English comprehension portion of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) preliminary examination is doubly unfortunate in this regard. Not only does this endorse the erroneous notion that one doesn't require English to become a civil servant, but it also drives the “English-non-English“ wedge even deeper. And the consequences of this will be felt beyond the UPSC exam.
But the anti-English agitators have a point. English is a language of power, status and class. A person proficient in English is far more likely to negotiate the world than someone who is not. This is apparent in the huge demand for English language learning among young job-seekers and job-enhancers across India irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds. It is a travesty that non-English languages have lagged as a vehicle for quality education. And the quality of English teaching in state-funded schools is abysmal. The government should ensure that quality English is available to all. And it should abstain from compromises that would erode the quality and coherence of governance in the country.
But the anti-English agitators have a point. English is a language of power, status and class. A person proficient in English is far more likely to negotiate the world than someone who is not. This is apparent in the huge demand for English language learning among young job-seekers and job-enhancers across India irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds. It is a travesty that non-English languages have lagged as a vehicle for quality education. And the quality of English teaching in state-funded schools is abysmal. The government should ensure that quality English is available to all. And it should abstain from compromises that would erode the quality and coherence of governance in the country.
