Choice of language in school: An enquiry into teacher attitudes towards multilingual education

Abstract

Schools, being an integral part of our society, are sites of multitude of languages as children come from various socio-linguistic backgrounds. Does our educational system accommodate societal multilingualism? The study reveals that there is a disconnect between the way language is perceived and handled in schools (in the school syllabi, teaching materials and classroom transactions) and the way language actually exists in society. Multilingualism is perceived as multiple separate languages in society; however, the way it actually exists is in the form of internal variation and fluidity within languages. The qualitative and quantitative study of teacher attitudes on language and learning shows that language, as it exists in society, is misconstrued and rejected in schools. Furthermore, the article explores the consequence of language exclusion on children. We attempt to draw the reader’s attention to our understanding about the way language exists in society. The way language exists in society should be the crux of discourse about education. This understanding of language is essential to democratise classrooms and ensure value and quality in education.