So, how does most of the world learn English? Do learning difficulties vary from country to country? What’s happening in India? And is the English vs mother tongue debate false?
The Indian Experience
The first English grammar book was published in 1586.Less than 300 years later, the English Education Act of 1835 formally established English as the medium of instruction for schools teaching the modern, western curriculum in India. But close to two centuries later, the number of English speakers in the country hovers at around 10%. In absolute terms, India leads the world in the number of English speakers, but the average Indian’s proficiency level has been found to be moderate.
Although most schools, govt and private, begin English lessons in primary classes, learning outcomes leave a lot to be desired. According to the ASER 2023 report on rural schools, a little over half (57.3%) of the students in the 14-18 age group can read sentences in English. Three out of four students who can read in English also know the meaning of what they were reading. But that still leaves a quarter of students who can read English but not understand what they’re reading.
So, effectively, India’s overall proficiency in English is less than, say, Germany’s or Scandinavian countries’.
Mother Tongue Helps
The endless debate over English vs mother tongue is a misplaced one. A person’s mother tongue does not have to be a hurdle to learning the language of science and business. Educationists across the world have come around to the point of view that, for children, learning in the mother tongue is the most effective means of grasping a subject.
But what about English? Mother tongue helps here, too. A 2019 article in The Economist cites an example from Cameroon. A study of 12 schools found that kids who were taught in the local language outdid their English-medium counterparts after three years of schooling. And, after five years, “they even outperformed English-medium children in English”.
