The Importance of English in India – Essay & Paragraph

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A brief essay on the importance of English in India for students of CBSE, SEBA, or any other state board. This essay will be also useful for writing a paragraph on the importance of English in India. Students will be able to know how a foreign language became a very important part of India. They will aware the fact that how important is English in modern India.

The Importance of English in India - Essay & Paragraph

1000+ Words Essay/Speech/Paragraph On The Importance of English in India for Students

This essay/paragraph on the importance of English in India is in more than 1000 words. But you can adjust the length of this essay/paragraph to 500 and 300 words based on your needs. Our aim is to provide as much knowledge we can. Before we started please have a quick look of the following essay.

Quick View of The Essay/Paragraph on The Importance of English in India: Introduction – Its general importance – Its circulation in India – As medium of Instruction – At higher levels – In administration – Conclusion

THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH IN INDIA

Introduction:

The English language came to India with the advent of the British. At first, the British came to India as traders. So they learned the different local languages of our country for carrying on their trade. But when they became our rulers, they made the English Introduction language the language of administration As their own number was rather small, they needed many Indians with knowledge of English to run the administration. So they set up schools and colleges all over the country where English was made the medium of instruction. Thus, gradually, more and more Indians came to know English. Today it is firmly rooted in our country.

The General Importance of English in India:

The importance of English in India, as well as the whole world, cannot be over-emphasized. It is the most important international language. Different countries and nations communicate with one another through the medium of English. Knowledge of various sciences and humanities comes to people primarily through English. It acquaints us with the best of literary works of the world because almost all such works are immediately translated into English. In fact, English is the window of the world. To close this window is like committing suicide. Countries and States, neglecting English for long, have now started giving emphasis on acquiring knowledge of it.

Circulation of English in India and The Contribution of The British:

Before the coming of the British; the geographical and political map of India was not as it is today. The British brought the different parts of the present day. India together and gave the whole country a Legal and administrative system. In the process, the whole of India became unified in a new way. It is true that British divided India before giving independence to her. But even what remains of India today was not as unified once as it is now. The circulation and use of English as the lingua Franca of entire India removed many barriers to understanding. It also brought about more speed and volume in the mobility of people from one place to another.

English As Medium of Instruction in Primary and Secondary Education in India:

However, there is a great deal of controversy over the question of making English the medium of instruction at all levels. There is no doubt that English is one of the richest languages in the world. The same is the case with English literature. But that does not mean that English should be kept or made the medium of instruction at all levels. After all, it is a foreign language, Children learn things much more easily through the medium of their mother tongue than of any other language.

There is no earthly reason why Indian tiny tots should be taught the most elementary knowledge of everything in English. An alien language creates a barrier between the teacher and the taught and the learner and the objects of learning. Moreover, the existence of an increase of English medium schools side by side with the vernacular medium schools has created a sharp division in our society. This has divided children and parents alike into the ordinary and the elite. Very often, students of English medium schools develop snobbery and a superiority complex. They look down upon students of vernacular medium schools. Conversely, the latter suffer from an inferiority complex.

Therefore, the sooner English is completely abolished as a medium of instruction in schools in India, the better The Indian languages are sufficiently well-developed as mediums of instruction, particularly at the school level. This does not mean that English should be abolished as a subject too. Only, it is one thing to learn English language and English literature with due seriousness and emphasis as very important subjects but quite another to make English the medium of instruction.

English at Higher Level of Education in India:

But the case for English as the medium of instruction for higher education is somewhat different. Here it is much stronger than at the primary and secondary levels Many vernacular languages of India have been made medium of instruction in Universities. But all of these are not as well developed as English. Some are quite underdeveloped in respect of imparting education in some highly technical and abstract subjects. In fact, in several universities in India, the standard of education has suffered a lot due to the compulsory introduction of regional languages as the media of instruction.

Moreover, this step has reduced the mobility of students from universities in one part of India to those in another. Thus, practically, the very purpose and the significance of a university have been frustrated. After acquiring the basic knowledge of a subject in one’s mother tongue, it is not difficult to follow things in another language.

Therefore, students in India should be given instruction in the subjects of their study till the secondary level only in their mother tongues. Side by side, English should also be taught with sufficient emphasis. But, at the higher level, English should be revived or retained as the medium of instruction till all the regional languages are adequately developed for the purpose.

English in Administration of India:

In the administrative field, the use of English should be immediately discarded, at least at the state level. The regional languages should be made the administrative or State languages and widely used in the day-to-day administration. The number of people in India with the knowledge of English is yet very small. To the common man, English is still Greek. So, its use in general administration erects a wall between the rulers and the ruled. It alienates one from the other. But, at the all-India level, English should be retained till Hindi can really take its place everywhere. Because at present, Hindi still not fully developed. Moreover, in many parts of the country, it is either partially or wholly unintelligible to a very large number of people.

Conclusion:

We should be practical and realistic in our approach to English. It is harmful to be blind in love for it and develop a slavish mentality. We should not try to use or impose it everywhere. But the need for English in India as a whole and its importance as the gateway of modern knowledge are too great to be ignored. We can ignore English only at our peril because it is no longer the language of English alone. To abolish English altogether is to reduce ourselves to frogs in a well.

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