Daily Times

Sir: The choice of the mother tongue as the basic learning instrument helps in thinking clearly and creatively. A student can apply writing, reading, and arguing skills more persuasively in his/her mother tongue. Using mother tongues helps students use their talent effectively. As a student, I observe that most of my colleagues find it difficult to comprehend the significance of a subject because of unfamiliarity with the foreign language. Therefore, it is irrational to use a second language as the medium of learning at the primary level. It is important to learn English or another language but it is crucial to know one’s mother tongue.

A logical reason is that, cognitively, the mother tongue is an integral tool that a child uses to understand the world, his history, and identity. By applying a second language as the medium of learning, a child endangers his identity and culture. Another compelling fact is that second language as a medium of instruction builds a natural barrier to progress beyond a certain level, both socially and cognitively. In fact, a certain number of students are found having gaps in their mother language, along with defects in cognitive development. Consequently, they cannot transfer or explain fluently in their mother tongues what they learn through second language. Therefore, an educational policy promoting mother languages is badly required. I reiterate that without having a grasp on the mother tongue a nation cannot progress. Maybe, this is one reason of our consistent failures academically.

NIAZ BETAB

Karachi