Overview of the Issue
- The debate over the three-language formula remains contentious, particularly in Tamil Nadu, which has historically opposed its implementation.
- A key missing element in the discourse is recent data on language instruction in schools across different States.
- The latest available granular data comes from the 2009 All India School Education Survey, which is outdated and not publicly accessible.
Relevance : GS 2(Governance , Education )
Key Findings from the 2009 Survey
- The survey reveals a clear pattern in third-language choices in both Hindi and non-Hindi speaking States.
A. Hindi-Speaking States (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand)
- Hindi is overwhelmingly the primary language of instruction.
- Sanskrit is the most common third language, despite the 1968 National Education Policy (NEP) recommending a modern southern language in Hindi-speaking States.
- Data Breakdown:
- Bihar: 99.1% schools taught Hindi, 64% English, 56% Sanskrit, only 8% taught other languages.
- Uttar Pradesh: 94% Hindi, 75.3% English, 65.2% Sanskrit, just 7% other languages.
- Uttarakhand: 99.5% Hindi, 85.5% English, 79.4% Sanskrit, only 2.6% other languages.
B. Non-Hindi-Speaking States (Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, etc.)
- The third language tends to be Hindi, reflecting a default preference rather than enforcement.
- Data Breakdown:
- Gujarat: 97% schools taught Gujarati, 20.9% English, 64% Hindi, only 2.2% other languages.
- Karnataka: 97.5% Kannada, 86.2% English, 30.4% Hindi, only 15% other languages.
- Punjab: 79.2% Hindi, less than 1% offered languages other than English and Punjabi.
Supply-Side Constraints Impacting Third Language Choice
- Availability of teachers plays a crucial role in determining third-language choices.
- Himachal Pradesh case study:
- Telugu, Tamil, and French had zero enrollments due to a lack of teachers.
- Teacher vacancy rates:
- 34% of Punjabi teaching posts vacant.
- 71% of Urdu teaching posts vacant.
- Sanskrit: Only 9.8% of 5,078 sanctioned teaching posts vacant → Indicates continued preference for Sanskrit.
- Uttar Pradesh case study:
- Minimal demand for South Indian languages.
- As per Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP):
- 1 student registered for Malayalam.
- 3 students for Tamil.
- 5 students for Kannada.
- These students appear as private candidates, suggesting that their schools do not offer these languages.
Implementation Gaps in the Three-Language Formula
- Even among States that agreed to implement the three-language policy, actual execution is uneven.
- As of 2023-24 (LS reply data):
- Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha: Less than 50% of schools had implemented the three-language formula.
- Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana: Less than 60% implementation.
Key Takeaways
- Lack of supply & demand plays a larger role than policy enforcement in determining language choices.
- In Hindi-speaking States, Sanskrit dominates as the third language, not a southern language as intended in the 1968 NEP.
- In non-Hindi States, Hindi is the dominant third-language choice.
- Teacher availability heavily influences language choice—languages like Tamil, Telugu, and French are absent due to a shortage of qualified teachers.
- Recent, detailed data on language instruction is urgently needed to assess the current situation and policy effectiveness.
