English is just a language, Main idea is reasoning skills. mathematicians are hired for their reasoning and logical skills. so the issue isn't reasoning in English, it about brain development. Some languages are evolved different and better at it due to grammatical and sentence structure. I heard German being one. Does not mean German is better than others language overall, but it may have an edge in this regard and that why we hear a lot about German engineering. Native language is better suited for developing these skills. English can always be learned.
Lessons learnt in childhood are the deepest. It is an advantage to our students that they start studying English from an early age.
There is a huge mass of literature present in the English language which we have no hope of translating. Now, of course, tools like Optical Character Recognition combined with AI powered translation can help, but understanding the knowledge out there is only part of the problem. Our people need to be able to communicate effectively in order to defend Pakistan's interests, which involves reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A well crafted article will be more effective in swaying opinion than a poorly written article. A well spoken diplomat will be more useful than someone with rudimentary speaking skills. English today is the language of the world and we should not shy from using it as a weapon. How do you expect to fight in ICJ and FATF without command of English?
In the discussion between Tariq Banuri and Hoodbhoy, I heard Mr Banuri saying that google translate means we don't need to learn English. This is a pitfall that must be avoided. Some reasons I have written above. But there are more.
The general understanding amongst Pakistanis is that in the modern world, people don't really care about language but rather your ideas. This is true when a Russian contorts English but people still pay attention. It is true when a Chinese destroys English but people still pay attention. This is not true when a Pakistani speaks desi English because there is an established notion of Pakistanis being uneducated and backward. The moment they hear broken English, people stop paying attention. Pakistanis need to surmount the double barriers of language and intelligence to make their mark. We have a pre-established image that needs to be wiped. And it will only happen when a critical mass of intelligent Pakistanis is generated who can communicate effectively with their peers around the world. Especially in the domains of foreign policy, and economics.
Now imagine what happens if Pakistani researchers publish in Urdu. Let us first take a look at nations that successfully do this. France, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, Korea are all examples. But there success is a result of much more than merely publishing in their own language. France, Germany, and Russia have a long history of original research in the vernacular, and so there is already a large body of knowledge amassed in their language. You simply cannot try to imitate China with its vast resources. Finally Japan and Korea are economically strong, but they are not independent countries.
Given the above, the best you can hope to achieve is mimic Japan and Korea. Is that really what you want to do? Be like South Korea and China? I for one do not want that.
Then there is the matter of a limited audience. If Pakistani researchers publish in the vernacular, they will have a limited audience. How many people will go to the trouble of translating and reading that research? Let us look at what happened to Russia. Stealth was originally discussed by Russian scientists but the Americans benefited from it. And this is exactly what will happen to your researchers. People will take their ideas, and work further on them without attribution.
Trivializing the importance of English is a pitfall that must be avoided.
