create or copy?

As a follow up of my previous post, I’d like to share one of my experiences. I happened to spend time with a 6 year old school going kid last month which included his preparation for a periodical test. He had the subjects of English, Tamil, Science, Numbers and General Knowledge. The course content was good except for the fact that it was in English. What’s wrong if it’s in English? We’re talking of globalization, corporate companies where English is the official tongue, of course our government’s official language is English and yes in this age it’s difficult to survive without the language. Children obviously must be conversant in English. But the problem is they aren’t. And before they are comfortable with English, how can you teach them science and general knowledge in English?

It is simply like pushing a person who doesn’t know to swim, into sea just because he has to reach some other shore (which isn’t well defined either but is a better place to live). Some do survive, but it is a very small number. The rest succumb to the pressure of waves, the nausea of sea, the wrath of sharks and the sheer pressure of reaching the shore.

Am I making a big issue out of nothing? Something that’s happening for the past 50 years yet no one complained? Take a look at this example.
Subject: General Knowledge
Title of chapter: Communication devices
After a paragraph on different types of communication devices,
Question: The ___________ is used to talk to other person.
Answer: Telephone.
There were 9 other questions like these. And the student actually is expected to memorize what to write and where to write, i.e., Telephone for the above question and its correct spelling and nothing more. And there are several other chapters as this such as musical instruments, sports etc.,

I asked the kid for the meaning of the words - communication, devices, talk. He did not know. But he knew to spell Telephone and knew which place to write it. He ranks in the top 5 consistently in his class of 30.
The kids are pushed to a pathetic situation where they just mug up whatever is written, write, earn good marks and (whoever manages to do so) progress to the next level without actually learning anything. India and its system would be the world’s largest producers of quality photocopiers (Xerox Machines).

The solution is simple, either teach science in the mother tongue or teach the foreign language properly beforehand. It is always better to grow humans.

Note: Try imagining a situation where you’re sent to China for higher education where the course content, lecture and discussion are in Chinese, but they don’t teach you Chinese assuming you know that because you’re in China. This is exactly what 4 year olds face with lessons in English.