‘Should English be the medium of instruction in government schools?’

Telangana Education Commission chairperson Akunuri Murali at a public hearing on school education in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR

When a strong public perception, that English language is the way to opportunity and success, there will be practical challenges in reverting to regional language of instruction. But the best thing to do is to keep the child and the aspirations of the families at the centre of such policy and deliberate, chairperson of Telangana Education Commission (TEC) chairperson Akunuri Murali said on Monday.

Mr. Murali was chairing the seminar with educationists, researchers, voluntary organisations in education discipline and teachers, to discuss the issue, and on imparting spoken English skills in Government schools.

Speaking to The HinduTEC member P.L. Vishweshwar Rao said the need for such seminar arose from TECs extensive observations noted in its all-district tours which showed an ‘overwhelming community support – even in backward regions – for English medium education’.

“We toured from Adilabad to Mahbubnagar. The support for English medium reflects a grassroots aspiration for a level playing field. We found that children were able to read and write in English but not speak. We aim to connect children to education resources and online content that promotes inclusive education in the State,” he said.

At the seminar, Visiting Professor at BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus, Vijay Kumar Tadakamalla said deliberations on whether English should be a medium of instruction, even now, indicates the failure of education policy.

“The concept that the earlier introduction of English medium in schools and deficiency in English education in government versus private schools is false. The actual deficiency is in the education level, and the problem is about bad education and not of learning,” he observed.

Sharing his understanding, reflecting on the studies conducted in the country and experiences from around the world, Giridhar Rao of Azim Premji University said that mother tongue-based multilingual education can be a way forward rather than an either-or debate.

The discussants presented diverse views and experiences, such as how tribal children encounter English textbooks as alien content; teachers’ practical challenges in English-medium instruction in government schools; cultural and political dimensions and the difference between English as a language and as a medium; and the demand for English in a globalised world.