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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze the introduction of English as the medium of instruction and its subsequent change to a position of an important secondary language after the achievement of Indian independence.
The study was conducted by examining historical sources dealing with the use of language changes after 1947, analyzing syllabi for General English and English Literature course in Savitri College after 1947, and soliciting from Indian scholars their perceptions of recent changes in language policies and procedures. The use of Savitri College as a case study for the post-independence period seems warranted as it is affiliated with the University of Rajasthan and thus provides a basis for generalization to higher education in that State. Because of variations among states no claim is made for generalizing recent changes to all of Indian higher education.
The study demonstrates the importance of language, grammar and literature, from ancient times to the present. Sanskrit was the usual medium of instruction in Indian higher education until approximately 1000 A.D. when, under Muslim rule, it was superseded by Arabic and Persian. Whatever the classical medium of instruction, however, there was a neglect of vernacular languages that produced a cultural and linguistic chasm between scholars and the mass of Indian people. When the British imposed a new system of education in India after 1835, their aim was to produce a cadre of civil servants who would be Indian by birth but British by training. English then replaced the earlier classical languages, but the gap between scholars and the masses continued.
This was the situation inherited by an independent Indian government in 1947. The new Constitution required the use of Hindi as the national language but recognized other language claims as well. A three language formula was instituted to require instruction in Hindi, English, and a regional vernacular. This brought about changes in the General English course which is now required for only one year in the baccalaureate program and which used a structural approach that appeared to diminish the importance of grammar and translation until 1971 when it gave way to a functional approach based on the study of language through literature. The optional English Literature course meanwhile has experienced only minor changes, and English continues to be used as the medium of instruction for many courses in science and professional studies.
