The Impact of English on a Globalized India

Jenn Nekolny, TGC Fellow to India 2014-2015

In considering a research question, I thought first about my Indian students

in Naperville. Many of them immigrate with an expectation of joining grade-level
classes because they believe their English proficiency to be commensurate with
American peers. They have been told by their Indian teachers that learning
English is the gateway to expanding their horizons. Indian families spend money
on English medium schools, English tutors, and even English boarding schools.
Why, then, are so many students unable to pass a basic English proficiency exam
when they arrive in the United States? What beliefs do they hold about being
proficient in English? What is the potential impact of English on a globalized India?
When I traveled to India, it was my goal to find out.
From a young age, Indians are told that education is key to employability,
especially an education in English. A better education means a better job, which
means better money. Better money means a better future. In order to preserve
and advance Indias place in commerce, an exchange of ideas is necessary and
that exchange will likely be in English. At the same time, tradition and respect for
the past are taught in twenty-two official languages and hundreds of regional
dialects. Young Indians live a paradox where local language and culture are
stressed, yet speaking English and broadening their world view are essential to
being considered a success.
English is seen as key to sustainability and progress in the eyes of many
young Indians and, with 65% of Indias population under the age of thirty, there is
potential for them to be global leaders with English being the glue holding them
together. In past generations, university students would study English abroad in
England, Australia and the United States and then stay in their new adoptive
countries. Now, more and more students study abroad and then return to India,
where their English skills allow them to pursue more lucrative careers closer to
their family and roots. Instead of looking outwards for a successful future, many
young Indians are looking inwards, back to their home country.
Where does this desire begin? According to the National University of
Education, Planning and Administration (NUEPA), the number of children studying
in English-medium schools has increased by 274% since 2003 to over 20 million
students. While Hindi is the official language of the central government, hundreds
of other languages are represented all over India. Many schools offer more than
one language. We visited a poor government school in Bangalore where Tamil and

Kannada were used for instruction, but students also had an English class taught
by a vibrant and energetic instructor. Smiling students, some without shoes, read
and worked on a nonfiction piece about animals. Another Bangalore school we
visited was an English medium school, yet teaching practices we observed were
lackluster, at best, and students seemed confused at their teachers poor English
when trying to practice wh- questions. Training and professional development
have begun in many places and organizations like The Teacher Foundation
(www.teacherfoundation.org) have taken a leadership role in helping teachers
expand their language and teaching skills.
In many small towns and villages, there is little regulation of private English
schools and signboards advertise schools that are little more than a small shop
with under qualified teachers. There are many schools, both in towns and large
cities, that offer English medium education, but teacher training is largely
unregulated and has been for many years. In fact, only 9% of 730,000 teachers
from private and government (public) schools passed a recent national eligibility
test. Working families scrape money together for tuition, but their children are
unable to pass exams in English reading and writing. Anil Gupta of the Indian
Institute of Management was quoted as saying, The issue is not of quality going
down, but of no quality to begin with. This is apparent to me when students come
to Naperville to be assessed for English at the junior high level. Parents beam,
with glowing Indian report cards in hand, about their childs progress in English and
wish to place them in grade-level courses with American peers. When we screen
them for language proficiency, however, students often have difficulty with
subject-verb agreement, past tense verbs, and nonfiction text. Its hard to explain
to parents (who often arent English speakers) that their child did not pass the
proficiency test and is recommended for placement in our English Language
Learner Program.
Back home, some Indians believe that local politicians want to keep citizens
backwards and not have them learn English. If talented students only know the
regional or state language, then they will likely stay after they finish school, adding
to the local economy. Other areas are more progressive, allowing students to add
to their linguistic skills. In Wandoor, for example, girls at the GGHVSS where I
visited have Math in Malayalam (the local language) in the lower grades and Math
in English in the higher grades. In the 10th standard mathematic sequence lesson I
observed, the teacher spoke English the entire time with no textbook, no
calculators, and no technology whatsoever. Girls were expected to pay attention
to him and his words and answered in unison when the teacher asked a question.
The girls did not have much practice with language production. They did, however,

process English the entire time as the teacher gave them examples on a small
slate board and they wrote notes in English in their notebooks.
Learning English along with the state or local language has produced a
linguistic schizophrenia where people feel in their maternal language but use
English in their academic and professional worlds. English remains the language of
higher education, national media, the upper judiciary and bureaucracy and
corporate business. It is often seen as the passport to white collar jobs in a postCaste system India. Delits (the former Untouchables under the old caste system)
feel that English is a liberating force, allowing them to rise up from their lowly
status and limited local futures.
India actually has no official language and English seemed to be the one
constant no matter where we traveled. . .road signs in English and the local
language, restaurant menus in English, taxi drivers spoke English and the local
language, schools taught in English and the local language. In a nation with
hundreds of regional vernaculars and state languages, could English be the answer
that joins Indians together? NUEPA vice-chancellor R Govinda says not so fast.
The current perception that English will resolve everything is not correct. States
should invest more in developing good English teaching and evolve a
comprehensive language policy, he states. Others argue that English leads to
employment, and a strengthening of the nation. Economic trends in employment
show that proficiency in English will allow for the expansion of the service sector,
technology, and tourism.
Is this a call to action? As an EL and Dual Language teacher, could I
contribute to a more comprehensive language program in India? The connections I
made with the teachers at GVHSS Wandoor and The Teacher Foundation might be
the key. . .stay tuned!

Masani, Zareer. "English or Hinglish--Which Will India Choose?" BBC.com. N.p., 27

Nov. 2012. Web. 28 July 2015.
Rahman, Maseeh. "Language Exodus Reshapes India's Schools." The Guardian, 15
May 2012. Web. 28 July 2015.