May 06, 2007

Urdu, as a subject and language, needs to carve a niche for itself in our system of education to give it the importance it deserves, writes Munizeh Zuberi.

MUCH has been written about the decline of the Urdu language in India. Little do we realise that the situation in Pakistan is not too different. As self-proclaimed custodians of the language, we have not done enough to enhance the stature of the language internationally nor to simply maintain its significance in our culture and society.

We may not realise it, but the problem has become quite acute. While the learning of Urdu was once thought of as essential to being cultured, societal attitude and values regarding the language have now been reshaped (for the worse). So much so that the elite, educated class of the country has switched to English as its lingua franca resulting in the relegation of the stature of Urdu.

The prevailing mindset is such that learning English is linked to education and modernity. “Learning and speaking English is increasingly being linked to social status. On the other hand, it does not matter much if one does not know Urdu very well,” says Ruqqaiya, an Urdu teacher at a prestigious O-level school in Karachi. According to 15-year-old Wajihah, a student of O-level Urdu, “As long as you speak good English, you are thought of as intelligent. The words education and learning English are being used interchangeably.”

As a result of this, the youth is becoming weary of studying Urdu and has little regard for the language. The British may have long gone from the subcontinent, but the colonial mindset continues to take root in our psyche.

One reason for the lack of interest when it comes to studying Urdu at schools is the quality of teaching and the methodology used. According to Ruqqaiya, “At the primary level, Urdu is not taught properly or in an interesting manner. As a result, by the time students come into secondary school, they have not only lost interest in the language but also find it very difficult to learn.” She adds that since it is a combination of five languages, Urdu is quite difficult to learn. Each sound can be attributed to up to five alphabets. “Therefore, if the foundation remains weak, how can the students go on to the advanced level?” Arjumand, also a teacher of O-level Urdu, says that there are no interesting books written for teaching Urdu unlike the ones for English which puts students off.

Both teachers agree that the quality of Urdu teachers is also part of the equation. Schools face a perpetual difficulty in finding aptly qualified Urdu teachers at both primary and secondary levels. Very few teachers, even in the good schools have a Master’s degree in Urdu. Most of them are specialists in other subjects. Speaking in immaculate Urdu, Ruqqaiya says “the fact is that people who study Urdu at university level are those who either lack resources or are not ‘good enough’ to get admission elsewhere. If they had the ability and resources, they would almost never study Urdu.” Also, Arjumand feels that “these days it really doesn’t take much to be an Urdu teacher.”

All the students this scribe spoke to agreed that they study Urdu only because it is compulsory and not by choice. They find no motivation for studying the language per se. After all, the medium of higher education is also English. “No one ever asks what grade you get in Urdu. This goes to prove its importance. It’s simply a ‘subject’ one has to do,” points out Ali, another student.

When asked whether they would think of studying Urdu at the university level, they said that the one thing that would stop them was job prospects. “What is the importance of studying Urdu in monetary terms? It will only get us a job as a teacher and nothing more. And we all know that it is not the most lucrative or desirable of jobs,” says Danial. “If I were to tell my parents I wanted to do a degree in Urdu, they would question my sanity,” adds Naureen sadly.

According to teachers, the attitude of parents is a significant reason behind the disinterest in studying Urdu. In Arjumand’s words, “While it is essential to learn English, the importance of knowing ones national language cannot be overemphasised. It connects us to our culture and gives us our identity.”

Ruqqaiya also points out that there are families in which Urdu is spoken and where emphasis is also laid on speaking it well. It is the children of such families who are interested in the learning the language and are quite well-versed in it as well. The new trend is that since birth, parents teach infants words of English so that they can pass the ‘admission test’ of renowned Montessoris. In social gatherings, parents show off how well their little ones speak in English. “As soon as people step out of their houses they encourage their children to speak in English; whether it is with a shopkeeper or a waiter at a restaurant, speaking in Urdu is considered a sign of backwardness. I cannot help but wonder what parents are teaching their children by doing this?” notes Ahmed, another student. “It is routinely and falsely assumed that since Urdu is our mother tongue we’ll learn it. But this attitude is derogatory to the cause of Urdu,” adds Naureen.

“In schools and at home we are continuously told to speak English. We are never encouraged to speak Urdu,” points out Danial. As a result they are unable to think in Urdu. Since their thought processes take place in an alien language they are unable to relate to their culture and society and harbour a wish to study and live abroad where they feel more a part of the society.

On a different note, Arjumand points out that the tradition of story-telling by parents and grandparents is also fast dying. Not only did these stories provide entertainment but they also developed interest in the language and had an element of cultural promotion. Similarly, there was a time when Urdu cassette kahanis were all the rage and children across the country would listen to them endlessly.

Of late, however, the role of the media in promoting Urdu language has been minimal at best and the little that was done in the past has steadily declined. There were times when one got to hear quality Urdu being spoken on PTV. The entire family watched Urdu dramas quite religiously, so much so that evenings were planned around the eight o’clock nightly dramas. Through them, not only were social issues brought forth but societal norms and culture were promoted through the use of meticulously written scripts and storylines. Also, the dialogue delivery was a treat to listen to. However, the horrific influence that soap operas from across the border have had on our dramas, which were once the pride of the Pakistani media, have not only taken away a good source of entertainment but there has been a big loss in the promotion of quality Urdu programming. The young generation is increasingly switching to English media for information and entertainment and understandably so.

When it comes to print journalism, the situation is not too different. “The language used in the print media is deteriorating by the day and is becoming increasingly boring,” notes Arjumand. The layout of Urdu newspapers makes their reading a tiresome process and fails to capture and retain the attention of young minds.

There is a severe dearth of books and magazines being written in Urdu these days, particularly for the youth. Even foreign books are hardly ever translated into Urdu. Whether academic or otherwise, these books are not translated into Urdu. This gives young people the idea that if they seek to gain knowledge about anything they have not other choice but to resort to learning English.

Having said all this, since the birth of Pakistan, Urdu has not been truly accepted as the national language which is a major reason behind the present situation. “Urdu has never really been accepted nationally, it has not been given the status it deserves and is almost always referred to as the language of the Mohajirs,” Ruqqaiya laments. “As a result, we have been unable to inculcate the love of Urdu in our youth.” As much as the founding fathers of Pakistan made efforts to establish Urdu as the national language the regional languages have tended to overtake Urdu. As a result, Urdu has found itself lost between regional languages and English.

Talking about what can be done in the present situation to promote Urdu and to re-establish its stature, Ruqqaiya suggests: “We need to start a national movement. There is a need for schools, scholars and the Board of Education to work together to redefine the practices, procedures and dynamics of teaching Urdu.” She is also of the opinion that there is a need to eradicate the shame of speaking and learning Urdu from among the urban elite. “The day the elite patronise Urdu and take up the cause of Urdu, it will be automatically promoted and will regain its former glory.”

According to Arjumand, “The system of education in Urdu needs overhauling. It should be made such that it develops pride in learning and speaking the language which will help develop interest in the youth.” Naureen suggests that in order to cultivate interest, the learning of Urdu needs to be modernised and made more interesting. “Nowadays there is no originality or attractiveness in the text books,” highlights Ahmed.

Wajihah insightfully adds, “Forging of national unity will give a lot of impetus to Urdu.”

It is unfortunate that a language as vibrant, accommodating and inclusive as Urdu has not been able to take firm root in our society, in general, and the hearts and minds of the youth, in particular. But there is no reason why a concerted effort on the part of the government, board of education and academia cannot help in improving the quality of Urdu teaching as well as instilling interest and pride in the language. After all, it is the language on which the two-nation theory was largely based.

The writer works for Dawn.
Email: munizeh.zuberi@dawn.com