The state government has recently decided to introduce English as the medium of instruction in all schools. While the move was welcome by some, there are also those who feel that Telugu should not be neglected or allowed to go extinct.
Three months away from their final exams, students of municipal schools were shocked to have suddenly had their syllabus switched to English medium immediately. Only class 10 students were spared from this ordeal. After receiving heavy backlash from teachers and students, the state government changed its mind and decided to make it effective from next year.
The decision has been termed as ‘illogical’ with the teaching community and parents regarding it as a thoughtless move. In the GO that they passed, the state government has made it crystal clear that English should be the medium in all schools, effective immediately. While issuing the GO, Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration, Karikal Valaven said, “The government, after careful examination, has decided to convert all the existing Telugu medium municipal schools into English medium schools from Class 1to 10 irrespective of the student and teacher strength.”
The state government had previously introduced English medium in some schools as a pilot programme and have claimed to have received a good response. The move is in a bid to improve the English speaking abilities among students. They even appointed special officer N Yesudanam to oversee the implementation in 2,138 municipal schools in 16 corporations and 71 municipalities.
On one hand, when India’s education policy has so far been against the under privileged children, this could be the needed change for the betterment of their lives. Such a move creates equal opportunities for these children, irrespective of where they’ve received their schooling. Maybe the government can even make do with the irrational reservation policies if such a move is successful.
The other school of thought is that – will this be the end of Telugu language as a whole? There’s no mention in the GO of Telugu being introduced as the second language and there are many that believe that it should be made compulsory. There is also concern as to the availability of able teaching staff in these schools to actually teach these children proper English. Also, changing the medium all of a sudden will surely cause problems to students class six and above.
What do you think? Sound off your opinions in the comments.
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