LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 4 April 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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Performance of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Graduates of English and Urdu Medium Schools:
A Comparative Study

Assad Nisar, Ph.D. Scholar Saira Ijaz Ahmad, Ph.D. Scholar

Abstract The major purpose of the study was to investigate the difference in performances of students of English and Urdu medium schools at Higher Secondary School Level. All the students enrolled during 2005, 2006 and 2007 in Government Degree Colleges in Rawalpindi constituted the population. Two degree colleges (one male and one female) were randomly selected and 730 students enrolled during 2005, 2006 and 2007 in F.Sc program were included in the sample. Data were collected through personal visits to the sample colleges. Collected data were tabulated and analyzed by using t-test for significance of mean difference. The results of the study revealed that students of English medium schools performed better than the students of Urdu medium schools in the subjects of English and Physics whereas no significant difference was observed in the subject of Urdu. It was recommended that medium of instruction for science subjects at secondary level should be English. Key words: Urdu Medium, English Medium, Secondary School Level, Medium of Instruction

1. Introduction

Medium of instruction is the language used in imparting instruction in any subject at any level. The medium of instruction is a controversial issue at all levels, especially in the societies in which various systems of education are followed.

According to Arshad (1997), language is a significant factor affecting education in many countries. After more than six decades of independence, Pakistan and India are still involved in the issue of medium of instruction with Urdu and English dominating at the present time. The medium of instruction controversy in Pakistan continues and is seen as a power struggle between different pressure groups or the elites and the pro elites (Rahman, 1999).

2. Language and Education Policy in Pakistan

Throughout Pakistan's history, efforts to oust English and replace it by Urdu by successive regimes have not been successful due to the support it enjoys from the elites, and English continues to remain the language of power and enjoys a high social status. Despite all efforts by the government to replace English with Urdu, the results have been slow. It was expected that by 1989, English would have been phased out of the administration at both the federal and provincial levels, but even today English continues to be the major code in which all official communication is done.

According to Abbas (1998) this may be attributed to ambivalence between government policy and public opinion.There are three choices open to Pakistan: instruction in native language i.e., Punjabi for Punjabis, Sindhi for Sindhis, etc. The second alternative is Urdu, the national official language of Pakistan. The third one is English. It is better to be literate in one language than to be illiterate in two or three (Abedi, 1991).

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Assad Nisar, Ph.D Scholar
Department of Education
International Islamic University Islamabad
Islamabad 44000
Pakistan
asadnisar75@gmail.com

Saira Ijaz Ahmad, Ph.D Scholar
Department of Education
International Islamic University Islamabad
Islamabad 44000
Pakistan
sairaijaz@ymail.com

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