The other day Minister for Education and Sports Pradip Nepal said that it was unfair that while in private schools pupils start to learn English from their first class, they are taught the English alpbhabet only at Grade 3 in government schools. He argued for the need to teach English, today’s global language, in government schools, too, from Grade 1. However, according to officials at the ministry, the idea needed incorporating into policy if it were to be implemented. On Sunday, Nepal also said though it was possible to provide primary education in different mother tongues, higher education in this fashion was an impracticable proposition. A couple of days ago, he also suggested that Nepalis should try to learn international languages that may help them do well in this globalised world.

There is not much to find fault with the minister’s remarks. But his utterances will have meaning only if they are put into practice. If a start in English is to be given from Class 1, adequate homework needs to be done first, such as preparing textbooks, providing the schools throughout the country with English teachers, and budgeting for the necessary funds. Besides, policy on such important long-term matters should not be changed with the change of ministers — such decisions should be based on sound theoretical and practical principles and considerations. In fact, in private schools English is taught from the Nursery level through kindergarten upwards. Therefore, in English, government schools are still likely to lag behind. But given the proper quality of teaching in a congenial environment, this gap can be bridged. But for this, the overall standard of education in the government schools needs to be upgraded. Emotional outbursts alone will not help the pupils.

Another widely debated issue is the imparting of education in mother tongues. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong in the idea. But in practice a lot of difficulties arise. Some people even argue for higher education to be imparted in mother tongues, which is out of the question not only in terms of cost, but also because of several other factors. The government has not been able to provide higher education fully even in Nepali, the official language of the country, despite decades of effort. It will be a tall order even to impart primary education in one’s mother tongue. What is particularly important is that the disadvantaged communities cannot come up without receiving the right education in languages that can sell widely. Rhetoric will lead them nowhere. The leaders who politicise the language issue realise this; that is why they have enrolled their children in private schools, where the medium of instruction is English. But this double standard is both ironic and unfortunate. No country in the world can impart universal education in all the languages, and most of Nepal’s districts do not have a single-language-majority community, either. But that said, all the languages spoken in the country are its invaluable cultural heritage. Their preservation and promotion is the duty of all, all the more so of the state.