ManishChand:THE NEED FOR MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION AND ITS ROLE

Through this paper I aim to develop an understanding about the need for multilingual education and its role in Indian context. I will first discuss background to discuss multilingual education and the work of few linguists/theorists who have worked on language proficiency and cognitive development I will try to explain on how teaching-learning can happen effectively in the multilingual classroom and how teaching model should be used actively to impart awareness about student’s linguistic resource. In the later part, i will deal with the role of multilingual education in the case of Indian classroom.

Literally, multilingual education uses more than one language as the media of instruction. The teacher develops English skills and teaches content in the native language. Multilingual education is one means of addressing the unique learning styles and instructional needs of students.

Most definitions of multilingual involve the competence of the individual. For example, some linguists, like Bloomfield (1933), says that the term should be applied only to those individuals who possess "native-like" ability in both languages, while others (e.g. Haugen, 1956) take the opposite view that,’ multilingual/bilingual should be characterized by minimal rather than maximal qualifications.’’ Weinreich (1953, p. 1) takes a more neutral position in defining multilingual/bilingual as the "practice of alter- natively using two languages." According to Hornby( 1977, p. 3) ‘’The best way to deal with this variation would seem to be to recognize that bilingualism is not an all or none property, but is an individual characteristic that may exist to degrees varying from minimal competence to complete mastery of more than one language .’’

If we notice, the framework of BICS and CALP by Cummins bilingualism can be seen as boon to Indian classrooms. It was earlier believed that bilingualism has a negative relationship and creates hurdles in cognitive development and scholastic achievement (Jesperson 1922; Saer 1923). Several studies have shown that there is highly positive relationship between bilingualism, cognitive flexibility and scholastic achievements.(Peal and Lambert 1962; Gardner and Lambert 1972; Cummins and Swain 1986). Even recent study, the language paper in National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005) quotes various researches that provide us with the evidences to prove that ‘’Bilingual children not only have control over several different languages but are also academically more creative and socially more tolerant. The wide ranges of linguistic repertoire that bilingual children control equips them to negotiate different social situations more efficiently and are found to excel in divergent thinking."

Multilingual education under this approach goes one step further than the previous approach and is also intended to make pupils from ethnic/cultural groups competent in two language through bilingual pedagogical approach. According to Banks (1988), multilinguality should not be limited to pupils from diverse background/ethnic groups, but all teachers should at least have multilingual competence and preferably be cross-culturally competent which will highly helpful in teaching process.

Multilinguality is a cornerstone in education, linguistic pluralism, an ideology of language diversity, which celebrates the differences among groups of people. Teaching pedagogy can be suitable place for utilizing the multiplicity of languages available in a classroom. Linguistic pluralism not only assumes that minorities and ethnic groups have rights, but that their life-styles are legitimate and desirable ways of participating in society . As suggested by Agnihotri R.K.(1995) ‘’Multilingualism is an assets can be used as a resource, a teaching strategy, and a goal; that the analysis of subaltern discourses has already brought out the significance of the contribution of the underprivileged in history and such sites need to be invoked in day today teaching in the classroom.’’ He father rejects the concept of ‘‘a language’’ because devoid of multilinguality, the concept of one language will start dominating and exploiting other marginalized, subordinated languages.

Another indicator of effective communication of content in the multilingual classrooms could be when children read aloud. In a traditional school, "reading" in the lower grades often consisted of repeating aloud what the teacher read from the board or text. In most cases, pupils were not even looking at the words they were "reading." In one second grade, for example, there were only eight books for thirty pupils, so that most were repeating the words of the "reading" lesson without even seeing them once.

Multilingual education is one that enables formal instruction or learning to take place in two languages that are potentially viable means of communication, instruction, and learning. Bilingual education consists of giving the child a part of his or her primary education in the mother tongue, or the dominant local language, if practicable, and then using English as the medium of instruction for subsequent education at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Indian context, there are two languages in contact (English and Hindi) are both well developed medium of instruction, learning, and communication, and opportunities and facilities exist for a balanced bilingual education, which implies the same degree of effectiveness in the use of both English and Hindi for educational and other purposes.

Many parents fear, that learning in two or three languages at a time is very difficult for the children. But in fact this is not an issue. When child centered, interactive methods are used constantly, every child can acquire two or three languages on a high level of competency, without even noticing, how this happens. From the psychological point of view it is not more difficult for children in a multilingual class than in mother tongue education and a lot easier than in a class with a foreign language of instruction only. Therefore multilingual education helps both the linguistic development as well as the cognitive and creative development of the children.

In multilingual education part of the subjects are taught in the mother tongue, the others in the second and third language. In this way one can first of all guarantee the even development of the mother tongue. The child can learn to read, write and express complex thoughts in the mother tongue. At the same time pupils feel comfortable in the lessons, which are taught in the language they are already familiar with, because they understand what is being asked of them. Similar experience as i had in our course contact programme. They can experience their abilities, which develop in them a feeling of self-confidence. This self-confidence helps the children to boldly tackle learning also in the subjects, which are taught in the second and third language. Knowing that they are not stupid, students can learn with curiosity and effort. For the children whose second language is English, develops much quicker than in the monolingual (Hindi or languages).

It is important, that certain principles are kept in the multilingual classroom. The most important of these principles is that the teachers work without translation, in order for the children to hear coherent texts in both the mother tongue and the second language. If the principles of multilingual education are followed, children not only develop language skills in two or more languages, but also, surprisingly, show a linguistic development above the norm. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that these children acquire two linguistic systems in a parallel way and thus develop two or three times more scope. Therefore they become more creative and inventive in problem-solving. In addition to that these people can learn mother tongue, second language norm and acquire any other foreign language in their adult life much easier.

The organization of the educational process according to multilingual education, give every child access to mother tongue education, which is so crucial for its general development. In this way all pupils can develop their full intellectual potential and at the same time receive all necessary linguistic skills in the other languages crucial for them. By reorganizing schooling from the traditional divided system to multilingual education, the schools can even distribute the children among the classes and solve the problem of overfilled language.

Moving ahead, the role of a bilingual education, instruction and research that can lead to the development of receptive language arts (listening and reading skills) should be actively promoted in the two languages, for a number of reasons: (i) The two language skills provide an essential gateway to learning, in first or second language situations, and also facilitate the transfer of learning from one situation to another. (ii) Bilingual presupposes the achievement of a reasonable measure of linguistic and communicative competence in the two target languages, and one sure way to achieve. It is by systematically, developing, listening and reading skills in both languages. (iii) If the achievement of balanced multilingualism, as defined earlier, is the ideal, then every effort must be made to develop the bilingual person's "knowledge of and insight into the nature of language" (Lefevre, 1970, p. 337), and receptive skills in the two languages, either con- currently or at different stages.

The another important role of multilingual education is, apart from the acquisition of two or more languages, the children are confronted with representatives of various ethnic and linguistic groups in everyday life and schools, which develop in them excellent intercultural skills and tolerance, and which supports the development of a peaceful civil society in the multilingual and multi diverse background country like India. It become more important when in classes interactive teaching methods are used which enable the children to learn actively, enable the teachers to determine the needs of each child, and uses communication in the target languages as the basic method for learning languages and content. Since in multilingual classes each child receives education in its mother tongue and in the foreign language, the classes can be ethnically and linguistically mixed, depending on the needs and possibilities of each region. With multilingual education the parents’ dilemma while choosing the language of instruction for their children, is resolved and at the same time the problem of overfilled English classes is diffused. The model of multilingual education also alleviates the lack of teachers, able to teach in English.

There are some certain demands that multilingual educations requires.

· Increasing use of local language in schools

· Building a foundation of child-centered learning approaches

· Enabling more local language speakers to become teachers

· Making materials available in local languages

·  Promoting participatory democracy and effort to sustain and enhance the degree of multilingualism and metalinguistic awareness that children have

· Early education in mother tongue promotes language development and pre-literacy skills

To become acquainted with each other's language, cultures, learn to appreciate them, and learn how to relate to each other .

Conclusion

Therefore, in the light of my observation, from above explanation, it is confirmed that multilinguality is a cornerstone in education, which denotes linguistic pluralism, and diversity, language proficiency, scholastic achievement, cognitive flexibility, and social tolerance.. It also celebrates the differences among groups of people and gives due respect to one another language preparing students to become global citizens in a multicultural, multilingual world, by providing the opportunity for all. Multilingual education is one means of addressing the unique learning styles in classroom and instructional needs of students. Multilingual education helps both in linguistic development as well as the cognitive and creative development of the children. In multilingual classroom, teaching will become interactive if the teacher uses classroom as resource in terms of language. And such classroom, if children’s mother tongue get due regard, they will learn quickly and participate actively and confidently. That is why, Agnihotri rejects the concept of ‘‘a language’’ because devoid of multilinguality, the concept of one language will start dominating and exploiting other marginalized, subordinated languages.

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