Cultural leaders are unanimous in their view that the government decision to make teaching and learning of Malayalam mandatory in all schools is a step in the right direction and should have been done long ago. Here is what they have to say:
Sugathakumari
Poet and activist
The opposition to making Malayalam compulsory is shameful. How can one live in Kerala without knowing how to read and write Malayalam? How can one’s mother tongue become a burden? The medium of instruction is not changing. It is only that Malayalam is being taught to students. Learning the mother tongue does not mean English proficiency is lost. The uproar is because we are not proud of our roots. The present law is the result of years of effort by many people.
V. Madhusoodanan Nair
Poet and teacher
A lot more remains to be done to popularise Malayalam in public life. The language in courts should be one that can be understood by the common man. Similarly, in banks, ways to increase the use of Malayalam should be found. Priority should also be given to the language in hoardings and advertisements. However, the decision to have questions for 10 marks in Malayalam in PSC examinations does not go far enough. It should be at least 50 per cent. Language is a reflection of our culture. Protecting it means protecting our culture. So steps to follow up on the current measure should be initiated. Any opposition to Malayalam is dictated by commercial interests.
K. Jayakumar
Poet and Vice-Chancellor,
Thuchanth Ezhuthachan Malayalam University
The government has only made it mandatory for Malayalam to be taught in schools. It does not say the medium of instruction has to be only Malayalam. It is appropriate that children learn their mother tongue. Tamil or Kannada speaking people should learn their respective mother tongues. The CBSE schools, when getting a no-objection certificate, give an undertaking that they will teach the local language. Any opposition to teaching Malayalam is a violation of the undertaking. And who says teaching Malayalam is going to have an impact on learning English?
Rosemary
Poet
Opposition to teaching Malayalam is just cultural snobbery. Without knowing Malayalam, we are like a tree without roots. Our language encompasses our past, tradition, and heritage. It is a huge loss if we cannot read Basheer, Kumaran Asan, or Madhavikutty. My desire is to see a generation that is proud of Malayalam. This is not to say English is not important. Making Malayalam compulsory will not reduce the importance given to English. We, Malayalis, are very practical, very aware, travel a lot, work outside the State, and know English cannot be sidelined. But priority should be given to learning the local language.
(Compiled by R.K. Roshni)
