(I have written this blog in English ( in continuation of my blog on this subject in Marathi), only to address the people and authorities, who do no bother to read Marathi protests to save Marathi, not for their schools, but for the children who will be denied their right to learn in their mother- tongue.)
Maharashtra Govt. has issued a gazette notification(or department circular?) on 19th June this year, declaring all Marathi medium schools who have not been granted permission earlier as illegal and asked the school authorities to close them. The move was taken to restrict grant-able schools and thereby the expenditure on salaries of teachers.
It is learnt that no Marathi school was given permission for last six years and a large number of schools are running on non-grant basis and waiting to get recognized. Though government has right to restrict the grant-able schools, the present move of ordering to close schools will do irreparable damage to education of children who are studying in these schools. The parents will have to transfer them to costly non grant-able English medium schools, creating sudden obstacle of language in learning various subjects which they were able to understand linking them with everyday experience in life.
As a consequence to government action, there is a sudden spurt in establishment of non grant-able English medium schools equipped with modern amenities and preaching sophisticated western culture. In cosmopolitan cities having highly educated and rich parents, this may suit well. But the establishment of such schools in rural and semi-urban localities where standard of living is low, where all activities are run essentially in Marathi medium, where parents cannot speak or write English, the enforcement of English medium will prove not only to be counter productive but disastrous.
No body questions importance of English in today's global scenario and its necessity in communication and knowledge exchange using internet. However, English simply cannot replace mother tongue language as regards learning efficiency in the initial stages of knowledge assimilation. Use of Marathi medium in Maharashtra,is natural and tunes up seamlessly with thought process and no translation step is necessary to understand any new concept or bit of information. Most of the parents cannot guide their children in the homework and the responsibility of education remains solely in the hands of schools. Unfortunately, the teachers in English medium schools also are generally ill equipped to teach subjects in English medium and rely heavily on books rather than their own expertise.
With propaganda of English medium as a necessity for getting good white collar job prospects, people get tempted to put their children in English medium schools by paying heavy fees. Children are trained to speak English and rehearse English rhymes and stories. Parents feel happy when their child speaks English, calls Mom and Daddy instead of `Aai' and `Baba' and take pride in telling about this to neighbors and friends.Mr. P. G. Sahasrabuddhe in his 'My Marathichi Hak' book has elaborated extensively the superiority of Marathi culture and books. Many Marathi authors have also expressed similar opinion. (Refer Marathi Bhasha section of www.mymarathi.com , a website run by Dnyandeep)
However, they soon realize that what their children are speaking is nothing but articulation of British and US style prose and poems. They fail to interpret it in their observation, experience and communication in daily life which is full with meaning in Marathi. They dislike reading Marathi newspapers, Marathi books and slowly get delineated from local Marathi culture. The great treasure of knowledge in Marathi literature right from Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram to recent writings by great Marathi thinkers and social activists remains inaccessible to them.They move away from family relationship and this is a greatest blow to them.
They get frustrated after seeing their child’s poor progress in learning various other verbose subjects like history, geography and biology. They find it difficult to understand basic concepts in science and mathematics, where they do not get real life examples. I have seen many such cases of poor, uneducated parents, who have failed in proper education to their children by following footsteps of rich families.
I have seen such ignorance of children living in states outside Maharashtra and in other countries towards Marathi literature and culture, and the frantic efforts being done by their parents to preserve and propagate Marathi culture. They will lose the battle if they do not convert Marathi literature to language their children understand and are comfortable with. Unfortunately, no such serious efforts are seen to be done by them or by Maharashtra state to keep them Marathi.It is the responsibility of educated Marathi people to build Marathi-English bridge for easy flow of knowledge by two way translations.
At least the children, who are fortunate to live in Maharashtra, should not face similar situation for no reason except the ruling of government and temptation of fancy English schools. It does not mean that one should not learn English or should hate English. Everybody should learn English as a language and not as medium of learning all subjects, the best choice being one's mother tongue, atleast in early stages of education.
On one hand, government is enforcing use of Marathi everywhere, asking all correspondence to be in Marathi, Names of shops to be in Marathi. At the same time, only to prevent any demand for grant, it is trying to close down all Marathi medium schools. This is totally absurd and may result in unprecedented bad consequences.
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