Why Muslims Must Discard Urdu Medium Schools
By
Arshad Alam, New Age Islam
18 August 2020
One of the
major recommendations in the New Education Policy 2020 is that as far as
possible, education should be made available in the mother tongue of students.
This sounds extremely progressive and educationists the world over have noted
the benefits of conducting education in the mother tongue. The argument is that
if there is a fit between the home language and school language, then learning
happens better. However, this perspective assumes that there is a certain
standardization of spoken languages which has already taken place. Thus it
makes perfect sense that communities in Quebec (Canada) would want education in
the French as a certain standardization of that language has already taken
place. The Indian situation is markedly different. Forget about
standardization, many mother languages do not have a script at all, defeating
the whole purpose of education in the mother tongue. For Muslims, the impact of
NEP’s language policy might further compromise their already dismal educational
condition.
Photo: For Representational Purpose
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Linguistically,
Muslims are a diverse community in India. They mostly converse in the
respective languages of the state in which they live. However, owing to a
number of factors, the perception about Indian Muslims is that Urdu is their
mother tongue. For a long time, Muslims have demanded to be educated in the
Urdu language. And it is not only Muslims, but also the policy makers of this
country who have seen Urdu and the default mother tongue of all Indian Muslims.
Thus it has been argued that one of the important reasons for Muslim
educational backwardness is that there are not enough Urdu language schools, as
a result of which Muslim students feel alienated within the school environment
and eventually drop out. All policy measures with regard to Muslim education
have therefore recommended setting up of Urdu medium schools within Muslim
concentrated areas. The NEP 2020 and its emphasis on education in the mother
tongue is part of the same thinking on Muslims.
But is Urdu
the language of Muslims in India? According to the 2011 census, there were only
about 5% Urdu speakers in India. Considering that only Muslims will mark themselves
as Urdu speakers, it is beyond reasonable doubt that Urdu speaking Muslims are
a minority in India. Especially in north India, Urdu has been associated with
Muslims. This also looks increasingly fallacious. The same survey tells us that
just about 28% Muslims in Uttar Pradesh recorded Urdu as their primary
language. Although Urdu has gained speakers in some south Indian states, this
should not be surprising as the Deccan has historically been the birthplace of
this language.
There seems
to be a realisation within the community that education in Urdu language will
not serve their material interests anymore. It is not surprising therefore that
Urdu as a medium of instruction is now being replaced by other languages. If
this was not the case, then the increase in Muslim enrolment should have meant
a corresponding increase in Urdu medium enrolment also. However, in states like
Bihar and Jharkhand, this does seem to be the case. Thus for Bihar, for the
years between 2007 and 2012, Muslim enrolment (for classes I-VIII) has gone up
from 10.7% to 14.7% but their enrolment in Urdu medium has gone down from 46%
to 32.2%. In Jharkhand, the trend is
similar. Here Muslim enrolment has gone up from 10% in 2007-2008 to 14.2% in
2011-12, but their enrolment in Urdu medium has decreased from 26% to 15.4%.
Kishanganj in Bihar has the highest concentration of Muslims in the state
(67.5%). However, even here, while 76% students accessed schooling through Urdu
medium in 2007-08, it has come down to only 29% in 2011-12.
Thus, it
appears that while the Muslim community is ready to discard Urdu as medium of
instruction, the policy makers are hell bent to associate Urdu with Muslims.
Languages are basically expressions of power and Muslims are doing well to
realize that their needs are better served with learning the existing language
of power which is English and Hindi. The community has wasted valuable years by
demanding Urdu medium schools and foolishly linking a language with the
question of their religious identity. There was a time when Persian and Urdu
were languages of power and not just Muslims but also many Hindus learnt these
languages. Times have now changed and hence there is no need to be emotionally
invested in Urdu.
More and
more Muslims need to realize that Urdu will not die because Muslims stop
accessing education in that language. Urdu will live through its poetry and
those desirous of studying modern Indian history cannot do without learning the
language. So much of our history and art is written in this language that Urdu
will survive, even without the patronage of Muslims. Appreciating Urdu for
being a repository of knowledge and making it the medium of instruction are two
very different things. Muslims should not jeopardize the future of their
children by insisting on educating them in Urdu.
This
insistence has often led to disastrous consequences. Take the example of
Maulana Azad National Urdu University. Muslims lobbied for this university in
the name of Urdu and the mandate of the institution is to teach all subjects in
that language. This insistence defies common sense: where will one find good
teachers equally well versed in social sciences or sciences and also in Urdu?
Naturally, one of the biggest concerns of this university is to translate as many
books in Urdu as possible. Granted that it will be able to do, then also what
are the employment prospects of graduates from this university. How many Urdu
medium degrees will be entertained by the corporate sector? Instead of making
such humungous effort, wont it be better that the university starts teaching in
English and try to compete with other universities in India? Won’t the Muslim
interest be better served in this way? But then in order for this happen,
Muslims themselves have to liquidate the vested interests which have developed
around the question of Urdu.
One of the
important recommendations of the NEP 2020 is that quality schools should be
established in Muslim concentrated districts. Muslims should grab this
opportunity and lobby hard to establish such schools in their localities.
However, they should see to it that such schools are not Urdu but English
medium. Only this can save the Muslims from their educational obsolescence.
Arshad
Alam is a NewAgeIslam.com columnist.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/muslims-discard-urdu-medium-schools/d/122658
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