The primary focus of the Central Institute of Indian Languages is in the area of conducting research on the analysis of languages, the pedagogy of languages, the technology of languages and the use of language in education, administration and mass communication.

The Institute not only views the entire education process through language use in education but also views the socio-economic process resulting from elite formation, the changing network of communication, the unequal role and status bestowed and the unequal access to wealth and power introduced by language use, misuse and disuse. Thus beginning from the study of a gap between curricular demands and teacher competence, through studies such as a gap between language acquisition at the end of the school and language requirement at the college entrance in the context of switch over to mothertongue media, educational inequalities through language use with special reference to poverty children, the psycho-social implications of bilingualism, multilingualism in the formal schooling system, the use of educational technology in solving problems in both formal and non-formal education and study of the philosophical, psychological and sociological basis and implications of non-formal adult education, which is confronted with the twin problems of instant communication and standardization and modernization, the Institute takes a problem solving approach towards language related issue in the country. Whether it is devising a script for unwritten languages, designing a bilingual primary education for the tribal and other minority language speakers, studying the compatibility of languages as subject and language as medium on the one hand and first, second, and further languages on the other, the Institute has left an indelible mark of creative innovativeness on the educational scene of the country.

Both bilingualism and achievements are difficult to measure. With what degree of competence on how many skills and use of a language in how many domains a person becomes bilingual is difficult to determine. School has the tendency of minimizing both language and skills requirement. In school achievement is measured in a pass-fail scale and therefore if bilingualism aids 'pass' then it is considered desirable and if it correlates with 'fail' then it is considered undesirable.

All experiments claiming to be objective compare two groups on specific points everything else being equal. Unfortunately in real life everything else is seldom equal. Two boys of the same age, at the same class, having secured comparable if not equal marks may have come form dissimilar social backgrounds so that the difference may show up in achievement outside the classroom. But for all practical purposes the school achievements get the maximum weightage in society.

The studies reported in this monograph are more indicative than conclusive. They are methodological explorations and are calculated to raise more question than answers. If they studies provoke others to undertake further investigations in this interdisciplinary area, then our efforts would have been successful.

I congratulate all those engaged in research reported herein.

D.P. PATTANAYAK