File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_1998/postcolonial.9804, message 3


Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 14:28:16 -0500
From: Manzur Ejaz <mejaz-AT-netkonnect.net>
Subject: The question of literacy 


The News
March 29, 1998

Full literacy is no magic wand

                    Dr Manzur Ejaz

Human capital development has become a buzzword in the new world
economic order. It is taken as a prerequisite for economic
development. In economic literature, education or quantitatively
measured literacy rate is considered the main component of human
capital development. Notwithstanding the abstract blessings of
literacy, it is totally ignored that an increase in literacy rate
neither
leads to automatic economic growth nor results in broadening of
mental horizons or cultural enhancement of individuals and society.
The qualitative aspects of education -- the curriculum and the medium
of education -- are not part of analysis or policymaking inputs.

On the quantitative level, the literacy does not translate itself into
industrialisation and economic growth. There are scores of countries in
the world -- many in the Arab world and in South America -- that
have full literacy but no concurring industrialisation or significant
economic growth. Further, despite 100 per cent literacy, the
worldview and outlook of many Arab countries remain as primitive
and tribal as it was 50 years back. It shows that the quantitative
increase in literacy is not enough and one should not expect any
economic or social miracle by increasing the number of schools only.

Many countries embarked upon industrialisation without having 100
per cent literacy. Western European countries in general and England
in particular did not had have full literacy at the time of their
Industrial
Revolution. As a matter of fact, mass literacy programmes were
undertaken when the industry and commerce required masses of
literate workers. Similarly, the East Asian countries could not have
been able to take the high road of industrialisation just because of
their
higher literacy rates. Their literacy rates too increased with economic
growth. That is, mass education assisted the advancement of
economic growth and vice versa.

Therefore, it is extremely misleading to project and portray as if the
increase in the literacy rate will rub the Aladin's magic lamp. Anyway,
in Pakistan mass literacy even in quantitative 
terms will remain unachievable because of the medium of education.
Historically, may it be Europe, Asia or South America, only those
countries have attained higher literacy rates where mother tongues
were/are used as the medium of instruction at the elementary and
secondary level of schooling.

England had scant literacy rate when Latin was the medium of
instruction. The literacy rates improved when French was adopted,
but it still remained limited to middle income groups. Mass literacy was
only achieved when English, the mother tongue of the inhabitants, was
made the medium of education. Similarly, none of the newly
industrialised countries of East Asia impart education in any other
language other than their own atleast up to high school level. 

However, it is interesting that our national and international experts,
wedded to quantitative measures in every other sphere of life, forget
(or ignore) the correlation between mass literacy and use of mother
tongue as the medium of education. But for the English medium
Anglicised elite, running the show at the international and national
agencies, imparting education through mother tongues in Pakistan is a
moot point. They argue that the globalisation of economy requires that
the children should be more proficient in international languages. They
completely ignore that a child cannot develop a real knowledge base
in any other language than his mother tongue. Some examples from
our next door neighbour, India, are revealing in this regard.

Southern states of India are very indigenous in tradition and culture
and strict in imparting education in their mother tongues. Southern
India is the area where the most advanced computer technology is
taking roots. Every one interested in Indian computer programming
goes to South India. In comparison, North India, linguistically messed
up like us, has not been able to match the South, despite its bragging
of being advanced and global.

Numerous studies have shown that a broader knowledge base in
society is created through indigenous language and culture. Even in
Pakistan, most individuals engaged in any real life production
processes, involving complicated mechanisms, get instructions in their
own language. Survey any factory, mill or workshop in Lahore, the
instructions and exchange of information (and scientific discussions)
take place in Punjabi. The highest level of engineers may have learned
things in English, but in the production processes, it has to be
translated in the local language.

Therefore, in actuality, the medium of exchange of information in
production processes is similar to other countries: using mother
languages as the medium of instruction, information and
communication. Alienation from his/her own language impairs mental
and cultural development, which in turn negatively affects economic
productivity. Therefore it should be realised that, first, mass literacy
cannot be attained without educating children in their mother tongues
and, second, high literacy will be useless even if it is otherwise
achieved.

In addition, the quality of education also depends upon the curriculum
being taught. In Pakistan, pressurised by conservative and orthodox
lobbies, the curriculums have become obscure and deluding. Instead
of being a source of enlightenment -- the main purpose of education --
the curriculum are breeding negativism, superstitions and curbs
creative tendencies.

Therefore, if the education as a major component of human capital
development has to be taken seriously, it should be realised that
quantitative measures of education are misleading and education, by
itself, cannot trigger industrialisation or economic development; that
mass literacy cannot be achieved without using native languages as the
medium of instruction. And, equally important, the curriculum should
be geared towards enlightenment and scientific knowledge.

                      March 29, 1998
                 The News International Pakistan


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