English, for Nagas, is a second language. By definition, English as a second language simply means the use of English by speakers with different native languages. It is, therefore, understandable why we struggle a lot when it comes to speaking or writing in the English language. Nonetheless, English is the official language of Nagaland for obvious reasons and it is also the medium of instruction in almost all of our educational institutions. The importance of the English language is undisputed. Whether it is for professional or personal reasons, a good command over the English language is always beneficial for us. After all, it is the language of science, aviation, and computers; it is the language of international communication, the media and the internet. The introduction of the English language to Nagas obviously traces back to the British regime and the American missionaries. Since then, the English language has been around here for more than a hundred years now. After statehood, the English language was adopted as the medium of instruction in the schools and colleges. It’s been more than two generations now since we started reading, writing and speaking in the English language. However, what is surprising is that we are still struggling with the English language.
Even the most highly educated ones among us find it hard to draft a formal letter in proper English. Someone who is apparently conversant with the English language still falters when it comes to English composition. It is understandable if a layman finds it difficult to properly use the English grammar but a college graduate, for instance, who attended English medium school and college for most part of his life, unable to write a passage in proper English without grammatical errors or with punctuations is questionable. It is not necessarily his fault but one should also try to unlearn and relearn the English grammar. Perhaps the fault lies in our schools and colleges where we as learners are taught the English language. This is not to say that being fluent in the English language is a mark of intelligence or success. It is just that English is the medium of instruction in our educational institutions and it is also the official language of the state. As such, to expect proper grammatical usage and a decent composition skill from a college graduate is not too much of an asking, isn’t it?
Most of us even find it difficult to understand the tenses but the problem is that we do not know that we are using the wrong tense and there is nobody to correct us because everybody is using the incorrect tense. While the teachers in the English medium schools and educational institutions are expected to hone their English, so that they may teach their pupils in proper English, the students must also take it upon themselves to learn by themselves. And the most ideal technique to learn proper English language usage is by reading good books. Once again, it is not about making English our first language but about mastering a second language.
Meanwhile, the Union government’s New Education Policy recommendation that, “wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother-tongue/local language/regional language” does not seem to be too helpful. But that’s another topic altogether.