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The two competing schools of thought tend to totally reject the other in Pakistan. The
school of thought that is in favour of Urdu or the local languages does not see any role for
English. The other school of thought, which favours English, considers native languages
insignificant. Since the latter is in power, local languages are either ignored or their
potential underestimated. No institutional support is provided to them and they are being
subjected to a slow death. The painful fact is that many students who are being educated
in English-medium schools find it difficult to read a book written in their mother tongue.
Many do not know how to count in Urdu or in their mother tongue. The reason is obvious
they are exposed to English primers before any other reading material. They start
learning the English alphabet before any other.
As stated before, English is an important contemporary language and to oppose it would
amount to depriving the people of a passport to enhanced opportunities for success in life.
Pakistanis must learn English but not at the cost of rejecting local languages. In fact, we
should be striving for a balance between English and the local languages. Such a balance
can only be achieved if our local languages are given respect and validation through
institutional support. This would mean introducing them in primary classes as a subject.
The significance of exposing students to their native languages lies not just in providing
them with additional linguistic tools for communication but also in helping them associate
with their cultural roots, of which language is an important manifestation.
We have seen a number of educational policies instituted by different governments but
never has there been a comprehensive document on language policy. Excerpts from
different documents refer to certain claimed objectives but they were not bolstered by
institutional support. There is a serious need to carve out a policy that is realistic in nature
and that makes the attempt to preserve local languages and cultures.
The writer is a professor & director of the Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences at
the Lahore School of Economics and author of Rethinking Education in Pakistan.