Recently a friend's wife mentioned to me that Delhi board is contemplating making an Indian language compulsory as the third language. The first and second being English and Hindi respectively. So a foreign language, other than English, is pushed to a fourth option and not mandatory. I found it really odd.
The world order is changing. More and more Indians are settling abroad. Many Indian companies are setting shop in India inspired by the Make in India campaign. More and more tourists are visiting India inspired by Incredible India.
If we want Indians to be global citizens, then we must equip them with the right tools. And foreign language is one of the basics in getting to be a global citizen.
If we want the world to come to us and we want to do business we must speak their tongue. There are too many languages in India and for all practical purposes business is and will continue to be done in English and/ or Hindi.
So why complicate the child's life? Why teach them something that is good to know but not necessary? Can anyone get a job in India if they don't know English but is proficient in Indian languages?
Tourism is the biggest employer around the world and India is probably getting less than one percent of global tourists. If more tourists start pouring in, won't it be better if we speak their language. It may help us earn more good will from them and may be also some positive word of mouth.
I think the education ministry needs to seriously consider the pros and cons with a long term and global perspective before making a hasty decision. A decision that may or may not be the best for generations to come.
Jai Hind!
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