CHAPTER FOUR: Three Language Formula

India has the second largest population in the world with over 984 million people. (Cia/factbook, July, 1998). The country's political system is a parliamentary form of democracy, and it is a federation of 25 states and 7 union territories (Aggarwal, 1991). Like the governors of the states in the United States, the Chief Ministers are the functional heads of states in India. This chapter addresses questions like, How great is the language diversity in India? What led to the framing of the Three Language Formula? How is the Formula interpreted by the CBSE? and How is it implemented in Tibetan schools? Discussion of these questions may help us in discussing the Tibetanization Program.

Language Diversity in India

India is a multilingual nation. Different figures are cited for the number of languages used in India. Fifteen different languages have been recognized by the Indian Constitution as official languages (Table 4.1). In 1976, one or another of these 15 languages were spoken by 87 percent of the entire population (Chaturvedi, 1976, p. 10), and in 1981, the percentage of speakers of these had risen to 95.58 percent of total household population (Mahapatra, 1990, p. 2). Twelve of the 15 languages are official languages of different states in India (Khubchandani, 1981).

Constitutional Provisions for Language Use

Interpretation of Three Language Formula by CBSE

In 1988, CBSE issued regulations regarding the implementation of the Three-Language Formula in its affiliate-schools. The regulations required that:

1. each student through the high school study and pass competency examinations in three languages;
2. These three languages are a combination of Hindi, English, and any one of the 15 languages mentioned in the VIII Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Singha, 1991). Tibetan schools are, however, allowed to replace one of the three languages with Tibetan (Narayan, 1984; Singha, 1991).

According to the CBSE recommendations, the duration of study and competency level for examinations in the three languages are as follows:

1. the first language should be studied for not less than ten years,
2. the second language should be studied for not less than five years and the level of competency examination at the end of tenth grade should be equivalent to that of eighth grade level (as applicable to the native speakers of the language), and
3. the third language should be studied not less than four years and the level of competency examination at the end of tenth grade should be equivalent to that of sixth grade level (as applicable to the native speakers of the language) (Singha, 1991).

Implementation of Three Language Formula in Tibetan Schools

All the Tibetan schools in India follow the same language combination- English, Tibetan and Hindi. English is taught as a separate subject and is also used as the language of instruction for all non-language subjects. Essentially, all Tibetan students who finish high school would have studied English and Tibetan for twelve years, while they would have studied Hindi not more than ten years.

English as the Language of Instruction:

The Dalai Lama chose English as the language of instruction in Tibetan schools (Avedon, 1984). This decision has been criticized by Grunfeld (1987), who writes, The Dalai Lama's frequently repeated condemnations of China for using the Han language as the medium of instruction in the TAR schools brings hollow, since the medium of instruction in Tibetan schools in India is English (p. 174). But given the predicament, in which the Tibetans found themselves, Tibetan language could not have been used as the language of instruction for implementing the Indian school curriculum.

Tibetan Language Classes:
Students mostly speak Tibetan among themselves and with their Tibetan teachers in school. The Tibetan language classes receive about five hours a week within the regular school schedule, focusing on Tibetan history, religion and culture. Traditional Tibetan pedagogical approaches are particularly evident in these classes.

Tibetan schools may differ on their promotion policies. Some schools may require a student to have passed the examination in Tibetan language in order to be promoted to the next grade; others may not require so. It appears that the demands from the existing education system weaken the attempts made by Tibetan schools to teach Tibetan as a strong second language (Tibetan Children's Village, 1990, p. 12).

Status of English in Indian Educational System

According to Sridhar (1991) about 48 languages are currently studied and used as languages of instruction in schools and universities throughout India. English language, however, is preferred as a second language or is used as the language of instruction. Sridhar claims that both students and instructors do not choose to use student's native languages as language of instruction either in schools or in universities. English is so popular in India that many new private school opened anywhere in the country today is likely to be an English-medium one (Melhotra, 1986,p. 215; Krishnamurti, 1990).

Given the situation where the Indian education system requires students to be proficient in English in order to be academically successful, it is probable that, most parents in India would want to send their children to schools where their children can acquire a high level of proficiency in English language. Some parents, however, believe that native language instruction will enhance their children's learning. According to Sridhar (1991), people who advocate native language instruction generally blame that the use of English in imparting education has caused the low educational standards prevailing in the country.

Chapter Summary

India is a multilingual country. The Constitution of India recognizes Hindi as one of the 15 official languages of the country. Hindi, which is spoken by about 40 percent of the total population of India, is being promoted as the national language of India. English is spoken by a small number of people in India, but it still enjoys its status of associate official language. English is the most preferred of all languages, for legal procedures and as the language of instruction in schools and universities.

The Three-Language Formula, framed in 1956 was later modified. In 1968, government of India adopted the Formula in its national education policy, which requires students to study three languages. The three languages that Tibetan students study are: English, Tibetan and Hindi. English being the language of instruction, it receives more emphasis for mastery than the Tibetan language.