JOIN USNational science aptitude tests: The language dilemma
Recently, the Madras High Court suspended the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) national test scheduled for November 7. Honourable judges felt that conducting such exams only in English and Hindi would deprive students who study in local languages such as Assamese or Odia of a fair shot at the scholarship. The KVPY is a flagship programme funded by the Department of Science and Technology to identify, support and encourage, bright and talented students to pursue higher studies in basic sciences and mathematics by offering scholarships beginning at the bachelor level.
While it is indeed laudable that the High Court was concerned about students studying in languages other than English and Hindi, it is also time to pause and think about whether such a change is called for in science exams and also to discuss the feasibility of conducting science exams in all local languages.
Let us first examine the history and status of the languages used for science communication in a few countries that contributed to the development of modern science, namely England, France, Germany, Italy, and the erstwhile USSR. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the language for science communication was Latin. Though it was not spoken in any country, it still was the universal language of modern science for written communication. It also enjoyed the advantage that most European languages were written in the Latin script. The early works of Galileo and Newton appeared in Latin, although their later works were in Italian and English, respectively.
Local languages replaced Latin as the language of science in European countries and the UK towards the middle of the 18th century. Until about half a century back, almost all science education in France was in French. Doctoral theses in science subjects were in French, the language of seminars, and the language of instruction was French. Some of the scientific journals were also published in French.
The same was true in Germany, Italy and the USSR. Indeed towards the end of the 19th century, a roughly equal proportion of scientific papers were published in French, German and English and somewhat less in Russian and other European languages. The scientific journals in these languages were highly reputed, and important papers were translated between languages. Among the Asian giants, China and Japan used their respective languages as the language of instruction to study science.
With more homogeneity in the languages spoken by their populations, they managed to do reasonably well until the explosion of scientific literature in English, which started about fifty years ago.
In the 1950s, the USA started becoming a superpower in science due to large scale immigration of talent from Europe and elsewhere, and partly due to its generous funding of science both within the US and in the allied countries. The result is science now has again become a monoglot. Most scientific terminologies are in English, and it is becoming increasingly hard to find equivalent terms in local languages. For good or for bad, English has rapidly replaced other languages for the conduct of science. Many non-English scientific journals have lost ground or have closed down publishing entirely. A vast majority of scientific journals, as well as science books, are now in English.
Now, journals in Japan, Germany, Italy and France publish scientific research papers almost exclusively in English. Universities in France, Germany and Japan require PhD theses to be submitted in English with only abstracts submitted in their national language. Even in China, the preferred language for science communication is English and, English has firmly established itself as the universal scientific language. Most countries find that science study in English provides a good foundation for a bright scientific career in the future.
In India, modern science took root about a hundred and thirty years ago. The language of science was only English, although the work itself was original and often outstanding. Until Independence, science was taught and practised in English. Only in the last fifty years or so, graduate students in science have the option of choosing other languages of instruction. However, this change has not resulted in developing scientific terminologies in local languages, and contrived translation of scientific phrases and words are often used, as language chauvinism has prevented accepting English phrases even when suitable local language alternatives do not exist.
Even Hindi, which has a large language base in India, has not developed a wide and easily understandable scientific vocabulary. English is the preferred language for higher education in science for students from all strata because of the scope and opportunities it affords. Besides, the scientific community with fluency in local languages is too small to develop the necessary scientific vocabulary. Ironically, the multiplicity of languages is a drawback for developing scientific vocabulary as scarce resources for science will be thinly spread to develop curricula in all the local languages. While non-scientific subjects should be studied in local languages as they need to be understood by the people of the region, the study of science in languages other than English will prevent clear communication and understanding between peers, thus stifling the free flow of knowledge that is foundational to a thriving scientific community.
Coming to the KVPY exam, the selection for scholarships is based on a written exam and an interview for those selected based on performance in written exams. Unlike the JEE Mains, which over 22 lakh students write, the number of applicants for KVPY is only about 1,40,000 in all the three streams, namely, students currently studying in XIth standard, XIIth standard and first year of BSc. The question papers for all these three streams are different, and this number compares well with the JEE Advanced, which is written by about 1,60,000 students. While the JEE Mains can be written in any one of 13 languages, including English and Hindi, the language for the exam in JEE Advanced is either English or Hindi. Based on the similarity in the number of students taking the exams, we see that the KVPY exam needs to be compared with the JEE Advanced and not the JEE mains.
The examination pattern is also multiple-choice, which requires no writing, and the language comes into play only to understand the scientific question. The language employed for framing the questions is simple and direct; answering these questions does not require proficiency in English or Hindi but only requires a good understanding of the basics of the subject. Given this, it should be possible for students from any language background to be able to understand and answer these science questions as long as they have a rudimentary knowledge of English from their language curriculum.
Candidates whose performance is in the top four to five thousand of those writing the exam are called for a twelve to twenty-minute interview, depending on the stream to which they belong. The interviews are conducted in about twenty centres spread out over the country, and the interview panel invariably consists of subject experts who are proficient in the local language. This helps make the student feel comfortable by talking to them in the local language, if necessary. The KVPY does everything possible to get the best students to take science, independent of their background. Finally, about the top three thousand students are offered scholarship. It takes effect only if the students pursue science or math at the bachelors level.
With the above considerations in mind, we should ask whether it is absolutely necessary to hold the KVPY and similar exams in local languages? Almost all students at that level have the basic expertise in English needed to understand scientific questions that are posed precisely and can be answered without recourse to language expertise in the multiple-choice exam format. Besides, it is also vital for children to know that English is essential for pursuing science and opens many more doors than pursuing science in local languages. Furthermore, the amount of time and effort that needs to be spared to set question papers in multiple languages, for an exam which is taken by about a lakh and a half students across the country, affords very little benefits. The judges in such cases should take expert opinions to come to a conclusion and not merely be guided by populist sentiments.
(The writer is Emeritus Professor and INSA Senior Scientist)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
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