My little niece who is three, talks to her parents in Tamil and effortlessly switches to English when she talks to me over Skype, because I am in the US of A! I do speak Tamil, but we encourage her to speak in both languages because it is an essential skill to have in a global economy.
Indians, Singaporeans and other former English colonies have used our ability to communicate in English to our advantage as we maneuvered the global stage and have attracted several offshore jobs that require a working knowledge of English.
And now as China catches up at the world stage, it is commendable that the CBSE board has chosen to hire Chinese teachers to begin teaching Mandarin in some Delhi Schools.
I always wished we were taught English by the English and French by the French, but thanks to the complexity of the Mandarin language we finally get to learn a foreign language from a native foreign speaker. I think it is a wonderful idea and wish CBSE students will take advantage of the opportunity.
Learning a foreign language not only provides an advantage in later years, but it also stimulates brain development and increases sensitivity to cultures different from ones own from a very early stage. Keep it up CBSE!
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