By Analyst
Swabasha as the medium of instruction in universities was implemented as a policy measure brushing aside all cautionary advice given by men of learning. The introduction of English as a medium of instruction in the sciences is now official policy. But there are many critics.

Hasty changeover

It was a hot political issue then and rabble-rousers held sway. So the changeover to swabasha in the universities was done hastily and without adequate preparation. University lecturers in the sciences had warned about the difficulties but their advice was brushed aside. The sciences have a culture and language of their own and the University Science teachers had advised that instead of translation there should be transliteration, using the same English technical terms instead of translating them. But their advice was not heeded.

A professor in the Natural Sciences referred to the term ‘Chromosome’. This term in English to denote the concept had arisen by an error of its characteristics in the first instance. But the term was translated literally into Swabasha causing unnecessary confusion to students in swabasha by repeating the error in English terminology, which did not reflect the characteristics of the concept.

What did our neighbour India do when faced with the same political cry for swabasha? Nehru the statesman said it should be taken up 50 year hence. Today India has advanced into a foremost place in computer technology and produced nuclear bombs using modern technology fashioned by Indians themselves. Sri Lanka in spite of a high proficiency in English in the 1950s has been unable to train its youth for the lucrative careers in Information Technology, which is a leading industry in India earning much foreign exchange and providing jobs for its educated youth. We have paid a heavy price for the politicisation of education.

Recent reforms

The National Education Commission, which survived the change in government in 1994, planned many reforms in education which are being introduced gradually.

One of the reforms is the strengthening of the teaching of English in the schools and universities. English for Communication was introduced in Grade l in all schools. It was not formal teaching as such. The innovation has taken root and the commission introduced formal teaching of English in Grade 6. Next, English was introduced as a core compulsory subject for the GCE (O.L). General English as a subject was introduced to the GCE (A.L) from last year and the first batch of students have sat for this subject. There was uproar by armchair critics when the recommendation was made but students and parents have accepted it. Of course the marks scored are not taken into account in computing the eligibility aggregate for selection to the universities. But the marks scored in General English will be entered in the Certificate and should help those who score well to obtain employment. Today the educational system is producing youth who have gone through 11 years of schooling but have little to show for it except literacy, which means only the ability to read and write. But there is also what is called functional literacy. The private sector in recruiting for jobs is not so much concerned about the subjects studied by the youth but wish to find out whether they could think, whether they are computer literate and if they have a critical ability.

Swabasha was forced down the throats of the people but the elite made their own arrangements to teach English to their progeny in the privacy of the home, and English came to be branded as a ‘kaduva’ which was being wielded to cut down the rural youth. But these youth never understood that there was a material difference in the knowledge they had acquired in swabasha and that of those who learnt English. They could not be made aware of the difference until and unless they were exposed to the use of English to acquire knowledge and experienced the difference first hand. This is now being done and the choice is being left to the students and parents. Only then will they be able to make an intelligent choice. Till then they will be on the streets denouncing each and every change proposed in education. Having been cheated by populist politicians they no longer trust any of them to promote their interests.

Going through school and university using only one language is not the pattern in any modern country. The majority of documents on the Internet are in English and even the French government is unable to prevent the rush to learn English in France. In India English as a subject is included for the degree examinations. The NEC aims to teach one or more subjects in English at the G.C.E. (A. L) in the future.

There is a genuine fear whether the introduction of English as a medium of instruction can be done owing to the shortage of teachers. But whether English is introduced now or 10 years later the same practical problem will arise. Generally, supply responds to demand particularly if the scarce factor is better remunerated. So the shortage will be overcome in time.

Those studying the sciences must be introduced to technical terms in English at the G.C.E (A.L). The ordinary language used by the man in the street is different from the language of science. Very few original English words are used in the sciences. Many words from other languages like Latin, Greek, French; German etc. entered the English used by the sciences. The attempt at purity of language by some idealists of the local languages was a mistake. A language must grow with the vocabulary and it is not advisable to translate every foreign technical word into a local equivalent as we did. Words used in science have distinct meanings apart from their ordinary meaning to laymen. But this is not to say that the structure of grammar of a local language should be ignored.

The pursuit of equality at the expense of quality

We have catered to the lowest common denominator, to make it easy for the least sophisticated in society. But in our quest for equality of educational opportunity we have sacrificed modern knowledge and its inculcation to the youth. We must work towards the highest common factor in basing our educational policies. But it is also essential to even out inequalities as fast as possible.

Nobody wants to confine higher education to an elite. But university education is not for all and sundry, but for the brightest and the best. Even then it is not possible to give university education to every one eligible for it. The resources available to the state are limited and the demands on them are varied. The priorities have to be decided by the politicians. If more and more are to be provided university education as promised by all Ministers of Higher Education, the people must be prepared to pay higher taxes. Bu the people are not willing to pay more taxes. Most people naively believe that free education has no cost. It may be free to the user but it costs the government money to fund education and such money must come through taxation. The Father of Free Education did not understand this point although learned men expressed their reservations. In economics there is no such thing as a free lunch. We are now learning the hard way the costs of the welfare state.

The question of haves and have-nots is not something that can be resolved in a hurry. Other divides have emerged like those who know Information Technology and those who don’t. If we do nothing the educated youth will turn round and demand jobs claiming that they have degrees. If the degrees are useless it’s not their fault. It’s the duty of the government to draw up a useful educational program. If the government realises the need for university education in English it must have the courage to explain to the youth the need for it. A government is supposed to lead, not to follow the ignorant who seek to impose on it.

Training Teachers

All teachers are now required to undergo training in training colleges. In such training colleges they are required to follow a course in English. Teachers at the Advanced Level are to be given training in the subjects. A mistaken notion is that only English teachers should teach English. There is a whole generation of old and retired people who are very competent in English though they may have no experience in teaching. They could be made use of to teach functional English.

Will English militate against the development of Swabasha?

In spite of Swabasha being the exclusive media there has been no appreciable development of Sinhala/ Tamil literature. Even those educated in Swabasha show no competency in the knowledge of Sinhala /Tamil literature. Nurturing a language is not necessarily helping it to grow. By teaching science in swabasha you are not developing the languages. Every child must be competent in Sinhala/Tamil, its literature and grammar. The local languages must be taught properly. The fact that science is taught in English does not take away the opportunity of the child to learn swabasha language and literature. The problem of translation is complex. A proper translation requires not only knowledge of two languages but also knowledge of the subject matter. The translations carried out by bodies like the National Institute of Education are riddled with errors. Not enough books have been translated and the university students have had to depend on the notes of the lecturers. This is no way to conduct university teaching. There are many good books written in English and used in Indian universities, which are also cheap. The Sciences are not culture-based knowledge. Of course subjects like history or some social sciences may have a cultural element but even they have a substantial body of knowledge, which is scientific in method and generally applicable at least in their methods.

Finally English teaching is a movement which has been gradually introduced at Grades I, lll, Vl, GCE (O.L) and GCE (A.L). It should gather momentum over the years.

There is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet in English. We have thrown away English and thereby the values imparted through English literature. But our imperfect past and our inadequate understanding of human nature have made our future tense. There are mind-boggling inventions on the horizon. We cannot afford to lag behind. There is a Japanese saying that only quality people can provide quality goods. We need quality teachers to provide a quality education. The atmosphere in which English is taught and learnt is important. This is where the older established schools with their long traditions score. It is unfortunate that they are all in the cities and urban areas. But if the private sector had been allowed to open schools there would have been similar schools established in the semi-urban and even rural areas.

Teachers and students agree that they need English. But there are many in Sinhala/Tamil media who cannot take advantage of it in the beginning.

Every great enterprise has started small. The power of example is strong and so is the inventive capacity of people if only they are allowed the freedom to set up their own solutions to problems. Although education is free the people spend enormous amounts of money on tuition. The tutories have developed as an answer to the problem of poor quality state education.

There is no provision for students to offer subjects, partly in English and some in Sinhala. This seems to be a lacuna in policy.

Inequality and class division cannot be wiped out by forcing the Swabasha medium on every child. The children of presidents, prime ministers and ministers prefer an English education in international schools or even abroad. The introduction of English will over time provide some benefit or at least make it within reach of people who cannot afford to send their children to such international schools.

The government is carrying out a programme to upgrade 300 schools, one in each AGA’s division. These schools will be well equipped with English teachers to teach in the English medium. The Central Schools will also be re-activated. Even now there are inequalities since science education is not available in the majority of schools. A similar situation will arise with regard to the teaching of IT. No one says to stop teaching science or IT because many children do not have access to such learning. We must remedy the inadequacies. There is the School Family concept whereby several schools can come together and share their resources. An English teacher in one school could teach in another school nearby and thereby alleviate the shortage of such teachers. Of course some incentive payment will have to be made to such teachers.

The problems of introducing the English are not insoluble. What is required is to give the powers of innovation to the local schools without the stifling of initiative by the bureaucracy.