The Problem of Making English the Medium of Instruction in Modern Education
✍🏻 Muhammad Adil Arriyawi
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Dear readers, in the current era, language has been made the primary yardstick for assessing the standard of education, and specifically, the English language has come to be considered a symbol of successful education and mental development. Under this concept, most subjects in modern educational institutions are being taught in the English language, even though this attitude is giving rise to many educational and intellectual problems. In the article under review, this misunderstanding has been examined, and an attempt has been made to clarify the reality that the true success of knowledge depends not on language, but on understanding and comprehension. In the current era, the concept has become common in modern educational institutions that the success of education and the mental and academic growth of a student depend entirely on the English language. It is impossible to deny the fact that English currently holds the status of a global language, and the breadth and acceptance it has achieved worldwide has not fallen to the lot of any other language. However, taking this fact as a basis to conclude that it is inevitable to teach every subject to a child in the English language from the very beginning to achieve mastery in all modern sciences and arts is, in our view, a very big misunderstanding. To understand and learn science, mathematics, social studies, Islamic studies, and other subjects, neither is complete mastery of the English language necessary, nor is the acquisition of these sciences impossible without knowing English. There are many developed countries in the world where all these subjects are taught in their national and mother tongues, and very positive and effective results are emerging there.
The reality is that in the modern educational system, the importance of the English language is not greater than other subjects. The demand should be that English, like science, mathematics, and social studies, should be taught as an independent subject, rather than making the education, understanding, and communication of all sciences dependent on this language, as is commonly done today. The biggest disadvantage of this method is that from the very beginning, the burden of learning a foreign and non-native language is placed on the child. As a result, the child's mental energies and hard work, which should actually be spent on understanding other sciences and arts, are wasted in understanding the words, sentences, and meanings of the English language. Thus, the student is unable to achieve that mastery, ability, and depth in other subjects which they urgently need. For example, if a primary-level child needs to be explained that two and two make four, when this same thing is taught through "two plus two is four" in English, the child will have to learn three foreign words and their meanings—two, plus, and four—to understand this simple concept. This is a very simple example; as the level of education rises, these difficulties continue to increase further. We have observed many schools and academies; we have seen many children merely rote-learning the words of science and other subject books. The child gets tired of continuous rote-learning, but the words are not properly preserved in their mind, and even if they are memorized, they do not last long. And even if they remain to some extent, the understanding of their true meaning and concept is very far from them. On the contrary, if the concept of science or any other subject is explained to the child in their mother tongue or national language in a simple and clear manner, then even if they cannot memorize specific terms, the actual purpose is easily achieved. Furthermore, the child also gains the ability to express the same concept in various synonymous words of their own language.
In summary, associating the standard of modern education entirely with the English language is a completely wrong attitude. There is an urgent need for serious reflection and review of this issue, and in this regard, the intellectuals and responsible classes should play an effective role.
O Allah, Lord of Honor, grant us beneficial knowledge, give us the ability for correct understanding and action, and accept our efforts. Ameen, O Lord of the Worlds.