THE LANGUAGE QUESTION IN HIGHER-EDUCATION - TRENDS AND ISSUES

Nowhere is the, language scenario and the problems associated with it as complex and controversial as in a multicultural and linguistically diverse country like India. Since language is the medium through which educational transactions take place, the vicissitudes of language and the language controversies have had a significant bearing on the structure, process, and outcome of her educational endeavour. This article examines the various issues and trends in the language conundrum vis-a-vis education in general and higher education in particular. Broadly, it is divided into four parts. The first part provides a brief sketch of the background and context in which the linguistic imbroglio in high education becomes meaningful. The next two parts deal respectively with the twin aspects of the language problem in relation to education, namely, language instruction and language as a medium of instruction. The concluding part recapitulates the scenario and delineates the dilemmas of policy perspective.