The official language of Nepal is Nepali. According to the National Census of 2011, there are 123 different Nepalese languages spoken as mother tongues (first language) in Nepal. Lots of people, whose mother tongue is different from their country’s official language, find it as a barrier to learn the official language in school. And then there is a whole different challenge, speaking English. Most of the schools are teaching more subjects in English than improving the skills and knowledge of the official language Nepali itself. We would like to take up this issue as an essential basis to talk about the gap between focusing on the international language English than investing in learning a higher level in the mother tongue or the official language.
Advantages of being educated in the official language
Children who are taught only in one’s mother tongue can miss big opportunities for their future. People who cannot speak a country’s dominant language often have restricted opportunities for employment and social mobility. Literature, Movies, Media – the access to information and entertainment is limited. It has also been shown that skills and concepts taught in the learners’ mother tongue do not have to be re-taught when they transfer to a second language. Studies have shown that a learner who knows how to read and write in one language will develop reading and writing skills in a new language faster. Education systems should perform both possibilities where the official language as a subject as well as education in one’s home language are both given equal importance. That’s a question of respect for ethnic minority language and culture. But they must also ensure that children from disadvantaged minority backgrounds learn the official language to find a good place in society and get decent jobs. Furthermore, parents who do not speak the language their children are being taught in school may be less able to engage with teachers, education authorities and to help with their children’s educational needs. And then there is the question of learning English. It is definitely harder to learn a third language when you are not fully familiar with your mother tongue and the official language of your country. It’s proven, that learners automatically transfer knowledge acquired in one language to another language as soon as they have learned sufficient vocabulary in the new language. To put it plainly- be good in Nepali, then it’s easier to learn English.
To sum up, we would like to underline the message that it is absolutely important to speak first of all your mother tongue and then Nepali in an above average level. It will help you to be able to communicate with everyone in your country and to deal with government operations or/and even with the local shops around the corner. It is an investment for your cultural heritage than just focusing on learning English, which is undoubtedly a big advantage.
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नेपालको राष्ट्रिय भाषा नेपाली हो | नेपालको राष्ट्रिय जनगणना ई.स.२०११ को अनुसार नेपालीहरुले १२३ फरक नेपाली मातृभाषाहरु बोल्ने गर्दछन् | कतिपय मातृभाषाहरु राष्ट्रिय भाषाभन्दा फरक हुन्छन् | मातृभाषा राष्ट्रिय भाषा भन्दा फरक भएकाहरुलाई विद्यालयमा पठनपाठन गर्न असहज हुन्छ | साथसाथै विद्यालयमा अंग्रेजी भाषा बोल्नु पर्ने अर्को वाध्यता पनि छ | अधिकांश विद्यालयहरुमा नेपाली भाषागत शुद्धिकरणमा ध्यान नदिई धेरै विषयहरु अंग्रेजी भाषामा पढाउने गरेको पाइन्छ | विद्यालयमा सिकाइलाई प्रभावकारी बनाउन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय भाषा अंग्रेजीलाई प्राथमिकता दिने वा राष्ट्रिय भाषालाई सुधारगर्ने, यी दुई मुद्दाहरु विचमा रहेको अन्तरालको विषयमा छलफल गर्न आवश्यक ठानेका छौ |
राष्ट्रिय भाषामा शिक्षित हुनुको फाइदाहरु
मातृभाषामा मात्र पढेका विद्यार्थीहरुले भविष्यमा आइपर्ने अवसरहरु प्राप्त गर्न सक्दैनन् | प्राय नेपाली राष्ट्रिय भाषा बोल्न नसक्ने मानिसहरुले रोजगारी र सामाजिक क्रियाकलाप जस्ता अवसरहरु बाट बन्चित हुन सक्छन् | साहित्य तथा संचारको क्षेत्रमा यिनीहरुको पहुच सिमित हुन्छ | अनुसन्धानले देखाए बमोजिम विद्यार्थीहरुले मातृ भाषामा सिकेको ज्ञान र धारणाहरु पुन दोश्रो भाषामा सिकाउनु पर्दैन | जुन विद्यार्थी प्रभावकारी ढंगबाट पढ्न र लेख्न सक्छ त्यो व्यक्तिले अर्को भाषामा पनि छिटो सिक्न सक्छ | शैक्षिक प्रणालीमा दुवै किसिमका सम्भावनाहरुलाई संचालन गर्न सक्नुपर्दछ | मातृभाषामा पढ्नेहरुले राष्ट्रिय भाषाको विषय पनि पढ्नु पर्दछ | जातीय अल्पसंख्यीय भाषा र संस्कृति बोकेकाहरुको लागि यो प्रश्न बन्न सक्छ | तर जनजाति तथा पिछडिएका वर्गहरुका बालबालिकाहरुले समाजमा उच्च स्थान, राम्रो पेशा हासिल गर्नको लागि राष्ट्रिय भाषागत ज्ञानमा सुनिश्चित हुनु पर्दछ | त्यस्तैगरी, विद्यालयमा बालबालिकाहरुले बोल्ने भाषा घरमा अभिभावकहरुले बोल्न सक्नु भएन भने बालबालिकाहरु विद्यालयको सिकाइ क्रियाकलापहरुमा सक्रिय रुपमा समावेश हुन नसकेको पाइन्छ | त्यस्तैगरी अंग्रेजी भाषा पनि अर्को प्रश्नको विषय हो | आफ्नो मातृभाषा र राष्ट्रिय भाषामा घुलमिल हुनु पुर्वनै तेस्रो भाषा सिक्नु भनेको अवश्य पनि कठिन कुरा हो | नयाँ भाषाका शब्दावलीहरु जानेपछि आफुले सिकेको ज्ञानहरु स्वत: रुपमा हस्तान्तरण हुन्छ भन्ने कुरा प्रमाणित भैसकेको छ | त्यसैले अन्य भाषा सिक्नु पुर्व आफ्नो राष्ट्रिय भाषामा राम्रो हुनुपर्दछ | जसले अंग्रेजी भाषा सिक्न सहज हुन्छ |
त्यसकारण, अन्य भाषा सिक्नु पुर्व आफ्नो मातृ र राष्ट्रिय भाषामा दक्ष हुनु महत्वपूर्ण हुन्छ | जसले गर्दा नेपालको सरकारी कार्यलय देखि हरेक व्यक्तिहरुसंग कुराकानी गर्न सजिलो हुन्छ | अँग्रेजी भाषा मात्र सिक्नुमा केन्द्रित हुनुभन्दा पनि भाषा सास्कृतिको सम्रक्षणमा केन्द्रित हुनु पछिको लागि बढी लाभदायिक हुन्छ |
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